Back to the Moon

Amentum’s Space Exploration Division has launched the "Back to the Moon" challenge in collaboration with NASA, in celebration of the 65th anniversary of Marshall Space Flight Center in 2025. The initiative aims to address the growing needs and technological challenges involved in establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon. With a prize pool of $10,000, the challenge invites participants to contribute innovative solutions that can significantly advance the sustainability and safety of lunar exploration. The purpose of the challenge is to solve critical problems such as reducing cargo shipments, mining lunar resources, protecting against radiation and extreme temperatures, mitigating lunar dust hazards, and improving landing precision. Participants are encouraged to reference the NASA 2020 Technology Taxonomy and other provided resources to guide their innovations. The intellectual property rights will remain with the innovators, but they must license their solutions to Amentum for its use. To participate, teams must first submit an Initial Proposal, limited to three pages, outlining their concept, technical approach, and projected impacts. Top proposals will advance to a Video Conference stage, where finalists will present a 10-minute pitch followed by a 10-minute Q&A session. Prizes include $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second, and $2,000 for third, with additional Honorable Mentions for non-cash recognition. Cash prizes are limited to U.S. citizens, though Honorable Mentions are open to all nationalities. Eligibility criteria specify that employees of Amentum, NASA, and those working under the Amentum Space Exploration Division Engineering and Science Services Capability Augmentation (ESSCA) contract cannot participate. All proposals must avoid classified information, ITAR, or CUI content, ensuring all data is public or team-owned. The judging criteria include innovation, impact, feasibility, and technical merit, each weighted between 20% to 30%. The challenge officially opens for submissions on August 14, 2025. The deadline for Initial Proposal submissions is September 29, 2025, at 12 p.m. CDT. Finalists will be notified by October 10, 2025, with Video Conferences occurring between October 27 and November 7, 2025. Winners will be announced on November 14, 2025. For inquiries, no specific contact person is listed, and questions are typically managed through HeroX’s platform.