Space Elevator Academic Challenge 2025
Space Elevator Academic Challenges – 2025
Co-Sponsored by International Space Elevator Consortium and National Space Society
Submission deadline is extended to 25 January!
Can you Imagine? And then—contribute to the future of humanity with great ideas developed from recent discoveries? When we think about great achievements of the past, many come to mind, such as the Pyramids, canals or airplanes. We need to dream big and develop concepts and ideas that will help save the planet and enable us to move towards the Moon and Mars. How about dreaming of engineering projects enabling us to provide the Green Road to Space while moving off planet on an efficient permanent infrastructure “tossing” payloads towards exotic destinations? Naturally, in delivering the greatest engineering project in all of human history, many questions must first be answered. YOU and YOUR TEAM can help us to answer them! Now imagine a Space Elevator system, which will stretch from the surface of the Earth to a quarter of the distance to the Moon! By building these elevators near the Equator, they will enable a whole new economy—a real, thriving space-and-Earth economy, delivering to humanity abundant clean power and raw materials, new places to live, and eventually even building starships on bridges to space. The transformation to this revolutionary future is yours to build. This could be YOUR future. YOUR legacy.
What is a Space Elevator Transportation System? Planetary defense, space-based solar power, planetary shade systems, access to rare minerals, fusion research, human communities off-Earth, spacecraft advances, in-space construction, and manufacturing—ALL need heavy lift. Imagine an advanced lift system which moves not the 20 tonnes of payload to GEO of current launchers, or the 50 tonnes to GEO of advanced Falcon Heavy launches, but a permanent space access infrastructure capable of moving 170,000 tonnes to GEO and beyond every year, and with no atmospheric pollution. Also, imagine this making it possible for everyone to visit space in the decades ahead, by taking a leisurely and scenic journey from the Equator to orbit. Imagine this making it possible for us to build lush, green, and beautiful space habitats with artificial gravity, so people can finally live and work in space, removing population pressures from our precious ecosystems. Forever. Imagine this making it possible to provide clean, abundant energy. Yes, all of that can become possible by building and operating one or even multiple Space Elevators as permanent transportation systems of the near future—doing for us what rockets cannot!
Two Challenges Await You: Naturally, in delivering the greatest engineering project in all of human history, many questions must first be answered. YOU and YOUR TEAM can help us answer them. They are:
HIGH SCHOOL:
Development of a Settlement on the Space Elevator’s Earth Apex Anchor
The first challenge, for High School students, is to develop and design an “intermediate space settlement” on the Space Elevator’s Apex Anchor to house over 10,000 individuals. This will act as a “waystation” for missions to the Cosmos. You will need to consider what the design, missions, structure, organization, architecture, life support, etc., at such a waystation would be like. How big would it need to be? What would be the optimal size? How will it take advantage of the massive lift capabilities of the Space Elevator providing a Green Road to Space?
UNIVERSITY:
Development of a Space Settlement at the Earth-Moon L5 Point—Utilizing Earth’s Space Elevator
The second challenge, for University Students, focuses on a development and plan for the Space Elevator to support the construction and logistical requirements for a 10,000-to-140,000-person space settlement at the Earth-Moon L5 point utilizing Earth’s Apex Anchor. Could we build a community at the Earth-Moon L5 point? You will need to consider the size and scope of the project. What would the architecture, structure, life support, activities look like? How could construction and logistical support be facilitated using a space elevator(s)? What would be your logistics and transportation plan from Earth’s Apex Anchor? You will need to develop an operational concept to build and sustain an Earth-Moon L5 community. What would be the role of a space elevator(s) in building and supporting this effort? How will you take advantage of the massive lift capabilities of the Space Elevator providing a Green Road to Space.
Submission Guidelines: This contest is for high school and university students from around the world. Imagination will be rewarded—but remember that everything in your submission must be based upon well-researched facts and not using any AI chat applications. We're counting on YOU to help make it happen!
Selection Process: This challenge has two rounds: Paper, and Video. Teams will be asked to author a paper, from which finalists will be invited to advance to the final round to create a 10-minute video.
a. High School: 1st prize = $2,000USD, 2nd prize = $1,000USD, 3rd prize = $500USD
b. University: 1st prize = $2,000USD, 2nd prize = $1,000USD, 3rd prize = $500USD
(Prize money equally divided among team members and delivered by PayPal)
Submissions will be judged based upon
Your insight into the development of a space settlement utilizing a Space Elevator for material movement.
Your presentation of the arguments in favor of Space Elevators.
Your creative concepts for using Space Elevators that lead to a better future for humanity.
Submission Format
1. Cover Letter - must be in this format: Title of Submission, Team Member Name(s) (up to four), Team School(s)/University(s), Team Mentor(s) (clearly delineated on application), one email contact (lead student’s email, not mentors’), and Student verification ID submitted via:
https://www.sheerid.com/business/identity-marketing-platform/solutions/verification/student/
2. Up to a 15-page paper submitted in English, in PDF format. Teams will be provided with access to the ISEC Zotero library to assist with further research for their papers. Picture of Team Member(s) clearly identifying students (pictures will be used in final awards). Academic Challenge 2025 submissions should be sent to: spaceelevatorchallenge@isec.org
4. For finalists, an audio/video (MP4) will be submitted.
Audio/video must be 10-mins or less and sent to: spaceelevatorchallenge@isec.org
ISEC and NSS becomes the owner of the video so it can be utilized by ISEC/NSS.
Submission Process and Timeline
1. Announcement of Space Elevator Academic Challenge: 01 September 2024
2. Paper submissions: 25 January 2025
Finalist selection, notification (top 10 each challenge): 30 January 2025
3. Finalists’ audio/video submission: 15 February 2025
Final Selections (top 3 of each challenge): 01 March 2025
4. Invitations to attend NSS Conference (High School): 19-22 June 2025
5. Invitations to attend Space Settlement Summit (University): Q3 2025
Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation of submissions is based on insight into the development of solutions using a space elevator, presentation of the issues, creativity of concepts, feasibility, depth of research, and quality of content. Submissions are evaluated by an ISEC/NSS panel of professional researchers, scientists, and educators.
Evaluation criteria for the paper and video submissions can be found here:
https://www.isec.org/s/ISEC-Academic-Challenge-2025-Evaluation-Criteria.pdf
Winners: Winning submissions will be published on the ISEC YouTube channel and other social media.
High School winners will be invited to present at NSS’s ISDC 19-22 June in Orlando, FL
University winners will be invited to present at NSS’s Space Settlement Summit – Q3 2025
Questions? Write to spaceelevatorchallenge@isec.org
Information about Space Elevators: Go to the website of the International Space Elevator Consortium, https://www.isec.org/. Note: Once your team has been established, an email to us will enable active support during your research to include access to a larger database of space elevator information than what is on the website.
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2023-2024 Academic Challenge Winners
We are proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Academic Challenge with wonderful videos to explain their research and results. Each of the teams supported one of two challenges during their research from either a university or a high school. The first challenge asked them to assess how their selected “mission” would be benefited by the “green road” access to space that space elevators would provide. The second challenge asked each to explain how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies could be used to enhance the capability of the space elevator’s transformational characteristics in achieving their chosen “mission.” The International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC), in conjunction with the National Space Society (NSS), sponsored this student research related to space. They have been invited to the NSS International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles in late May. (The original Academic Challenge announcement can be found here.)
The winners are:
High School
1st Place ($2000.00)
Title: Mission Demeter
School: Makua Lani Christian Academy High School, Hawaii
Lead: Anela Uluwehi Monell
Team: Abigayle Byers, Joshua Reid, Alexander Lim
Video Link: https://youtu.be/cz_7C8_i3aI
2nd Place ($1000.00)
Title: Mars Delivery Service
School: Saint Cecilla School and Japanese School in San Francisco, CA
Lead: Leo Shiina
Team: Darby Powell Kara da Luz, and Misato Sobue
Video Link: https://youtu.be/HeOYqO3wQz4
3rd Place ($500)
Title: Thermal Electricity Storage System with Solar Panels
School: Makua Lani Christian Academy High School, Hawaii
Lead: Dylan Beach
Video Link: https://youtu.be/YZhDph5FN_Q
University
1st Place ($2000.00)
Title: Space Policy Mission – Green Orbit
School: Columbia University, New York City, NY
Lead: Selin Mordeniz
Team: Elliot Heath, Kuan “Frank” Zhang, and Laura Topolski
Video Link: https://youtu.be/70BtsP5sqjY
2nd / 3rd Place ($750.00) – We had two submittals whose final evaluation scores were very close. The team decided to award a tie between 2nd and 3rd place. Therefore, each team will receive $750.00.
Title: Harvesting the Cosmos
School: University of Minnesota, Colorado School of Mines
Lead: Adam Williams
Team: Michael Williams
Video Link : https://youtu.be/UofKsWdjy7Q
Title: AI Enhanced Operations and Maintenance
School: Vanier College, College in Quebec
Lead: Henrique Etrusco Ribeiro Moreira
Video Link: https://youtu.be/7mluMvKyOxk
2022-2023 Academic Challenge Winners
2023 Space Elevator Challenge: Improving Humanity’s Future
THE CHALLENGE:
Can you contribute to the future of humanity with great ideas developed from recent discoveries? This contest was for students (guideline ages 17-25) from around the world. It focused on the strengths of the Space Elevator, the Green Road to Space. This challenge encouraged each student to expand their imagination by exploring, and making a case for, something that the Space Elevator can do for humanity; something that excites them. They could either enter as an individual or as a member of a team (up to four students).
THE WINNERS:
1st Place ($2,000): Henrique Etrusco Ribeiro Moreira (above), “Space Elevator: Applications of GEO Stations and Microgravity” (Vanier College). This paper discusses the transformational properties of such a framework, including the addition of a GEO station. As a novel part of space elevator research, the benefits of such a station is explored and a specific focus is given to the microgravity characteristics that can be found in such an infrastructure.
Henrique’s video entry is below.
2nd Place ($1,000): (above, left to right) Ryo Kuzuno, Yukito Kodama & Yuki Furusho of Tohoku University and Shota Arai of the University of Tokyo, “High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal System Using Space Elevator.” This paper examines the feasibility and effectiveness of using space elevators for transporting high-level nuclear waste (HLW) into space. Space elevators could offer a safe and high-capacity alternative. This study evaluates the technical and economic aspects of HLW disposal in space using space elevators and concludes that it is a realistic option with an adequate disposal time frame.
The second place team video is below.
3rd Place ($500): Juan Koike (above right), Nanako Doi (center), Shingo Toyoda (left), & Ryota Yoshimura (not shown), “High-degree-of-freedom Orbital Deployment of CubeSats by Space Elevators” (College of Science and Technology, Nihon University). Basic research is described on space elevator transport units with the aim of "realization of position control for high-speed movement." This is developing a technique to stop climbers from moving at high speed at an arbitrary position on the tether. This research could be applied to the transport of CubeSats.
The third place team video is below.
Finalist: Maria Juliane de Souza Brito (above), Universidade Federal do Amazonas - UFAM (Federal University of Amazonas), with three submissions.
The Ark could soon become a reality with appropriate technology. By utilizing the space elevator capabilities of high volumes to space at low costs, we propose a potential system to allow the preservation of human society in case of emergencies that could produce an extinction: The Ark, an independent space settlement or spaceship to store most terrestrial plant seeds and animal embryos, including human, for future return-to-life event in case of need.
Impactor: A proposal to utilize the space elevator’s unique capabilities to assemble in orbital a heavy bullet shaped mass called Impactor to be smashed against an incoming asteroid to deflect it from its terrestrial target. Only with the space elevator and its capabilities could such an impactor, a superheavy and large body, be built and assembled in order to be effective against an incoming asteroid.
Min-Man: The utilization of space resources, nearly unlimited compared to those in our planet, may start an era of abundance for the human society. Recent advances in space technology with more affordable costs for entrepreneurs willing to invest in space can open up new opportunities and allow to start mining activities in space. The space elevator introduction will represent a paradigm shift and a true breakthrough in space development and will allow many activities previously unheard of.
Finalist: Sidney Sheets (above), Aaron Mizrahi (not shown), Lacie Chickaway (not shown), “Space Elevators: A Scientific Application” (Florida Institute of Technology). Discusses the economy, efficiency, and reliability of a Space Elevator to support unmanned space science missions, including astronomy, planetary, and solar science.