The NASA Orbital Clarity Challenge, the sixth challenge in the NASA TechLeap Award Series, is part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program and Collaborative Innovation Center of Excellence. Led by NASA’s Heliophysics Division, the challenge focuses on improving our understanding of space weather and its effects on low Earth orbit (LEO).
The Heliophysics Division studies how intense solar activity heats and expands Earth’s outer atmosphere, increasing atmospheric density and orbital drag. The Orbital Clarity Challenge seeks affordable, scalable technologies capable of measuring thermospheric density, pressure, and drag in low Earth orbit.
NASA is looking for low-cost solutions that can be manufactured in large quantities and deployed as hosted payloads on commercial spacecraft. The challenge will take place across three phases, with up to four winning teams advancing their concepts into flight-ready technologies within 12 months. At the conclusion of the challenge, each winning team will receive a free test flight from NASA.
Award: Up to four winners across three phases can receive a combined total of up to $500,000 in prizes.
Challenge open date: August 19, 2026
Phase 1 registration deadline: October 28, 2026
Phase 1 submission deadline: November 11, 2026
Source: www.nasa.gov