Space Apps Challenge
Space Apps Challenge (NASA International Space Apps Challenge) is NASA's annual international hackathon program engaging global developers, scientists, students, and creators to build open-source solutions using NASA open data across 160+ locations in 50+ countries, with free participation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMidland, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Space Apps Challenge does
Space Apps Challenge (legally NASA International Space Apps Challenge) is an annual global hackathon program organized by NASA since 2012. The program runs across 160+ co-located event sites in 50+ countries over a 48-72 hour period, engaging thousands of participants including developers, scientists, students, designers, makers, engineers, and storytellers. It provides access to NASA's open data resources—EOSDIS satellite imagery, Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), the Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET), and Global Precipitation Measurement data—to enable participants to build open-source solutions addressing challenges across aeronautics, space station operations, solar system science, Earth observation, and Mars exploration. The program is administered under NASA's Office of the Chief Information Officer, with media contact Eldora Valentine based at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.
The 2016 edition (the fifth annual challenge) produced 1,287 projects globally, with 128 projects nominated for People's Choice awards across six global award categories including Best Use of Data, Best Use of Hardware, Best Mission Concept, Most Inspirational, Galactic Impact, and People's Choice. Notable winners included the Scintilla team (Pasadena) for air quality monitoring via social media and ground sensors, the Canarias team for a CO2 monitor patch, the Mars Hopper team (Kiev) for a CO2-jet Mars exploration aircraft, and the Fractalnet team for a data glove mission concept. The platform is supported by a technology sponsor ecosystem including Microsoft Azure (presenting sponsor for Pasadena, with dedicated Azure Challenge), Intel (60 Edison boards deployed), Socrata (data.NASA.gov platform), IBM Bluemix, and Supplyframe Design Lab (hardware-track residency).
Space Apps Challenge operates without a commercial revenue model. Participation is free of charge, with virtual participation available for those without nearby physical venues. The program is funded by U.S. federal appropriations through NASA and supplemented by in-kind corporate sponsorships. All submitted solutions must be released under open-source licenses. The GTM motion is community-led: participants self-register, teams form on-site or in advance, and projects are evaluated by NASA experts and local hosts. Geographic reach extends globally across at least 50 countries spanning North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.
Space Apps Challenge firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Space Apps Challenge
- Legal name
- NASA International Space Apps Challenge
- Website
- https://2016.spaceappschallenge.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Space Apps Challenge (NASA International Space Apps Challenge) is NASA's annual international hackathon program engaging global developers, scientists, students, and creators to build open-source solutions using NASA open data across 160+ locations in 50+ countries, with free participation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Space Apps Challenge industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Innovation Hackathon Programs
- NAICS
- Space Research and Technology (927110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)
Keywords
Where Space Apps Challenge is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Midland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Space Apps Challenge business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- NASA Incubation Program: Space Apps is a NASA incubator innovation program. The program is run by NASA with support from collaborators and sponsors worldwide. Participation is free for all attendees. No commercial revenue model exists as this is a government-sponsored innovation initiative.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Participation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Space Apps Challenge product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Space Apps Challenge is NASA's annual international hackathon that convenes global problem solvers for 48-72 hours to address challenges in aeronautics, space station operations, the solar system, Earth observation, and Mars exploration using NASA open data. Participants form teams at physical locations or virtually, develop open-source solutions, and submit projects for evaluation by NASA experts and community voting. The program is free for all participants and operates as a government-sponsored innovation initiative under NASA's Office of the Chief Information Officer.
Product overview
Space Apps Challenge is not a product company but rather an annual international hackathon event organized by NASA. The event brings together problem solvers globally for 48-72 hours to collaborate on challenges using open NASA data. Solutions created include applications, hardware projects, data visualizations, and designs. The platform itself consists of a website for event coordination, challenge listings, project submissions, and award announcements, but does not offer distinct product modules or services in the traditional SaaS sense.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NASA International Space Apps Challenge Annual 48-72 hour global hackathon organized by NASA where participants form teams at physical locations or virtually to solve challenges in aeronautics, space station, solar system, Earth observation, and Mars exploration using NASA open data. All solutions must be submitted under open source licenses. Participation is free.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,287 projects created in 2016
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Space Apps Challenge
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Space Apps Challenge technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Space Apps Challenge partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- IoT HUB KievminorLocal collaborator for Space Apps Kiev 2016 event organization and support.
- HUB4.0 CoworkingminorVenue partner for Space Apps Kiev 2016 at Yaroslavskii provulok 1/3 location.
- NoosphereminorStrategic collaborator for Space Apps Kiev supporting innovation initiatives.
- DATAGROUPminorLocal technology partner supporting Space Apps Kiev event operations.
- Microsoft AzurecoreMicrosoft Azure served as the presenting sponsor for NASA Space Apps Pasadena. Provided free cloud credits to participants through Microsoft Azure platform. Offered technical support via [email protected] and created Microsoft Azure Challenge to complement existing Space Apps Challenges with special prizes for innovative solutions leveraging Azure services.
- IntelcoreIntel Innovators attended the hackathon to help participants incorporate Intel technology into projects. Made available 60 Intel Edison development boards and 60 Grove Starter Kits. Special prize awarded for 'Best Use of Edison'. Technical details provided for Intel Edison and Grove Starter Kit usage.
- SocratacoreSocrata powers data.NASA.gov, NASA's master listing of publicly-available datasets. Offered powerful APIs for NASA tabular data and discovery possibilities. Awarded prize to team making best use of data.NASA.gov and Socrata APIs.
- SupplyframeminorSupplyframe Design Lab chose winning team for physical/hardware projects. Awarded 2-month residency in Supplyframe Design Lab plus $2,000 per month for each month of residency.
- PLDT InnolabcoreMain venue host for Space Apps Mandaluyong 2016, located in front of Rizal Technological University.
- Microsoft PhilippinescoreTechnology sponsor for Space Apps Mandaluyong providing cloud services and platform support.
- DOST ICT Office Luzon Cluster 2minorGovernment technology partner supporting ICT initiatives and Space Apps Mandaluyong event.
- Innovate PasadenaminorLocal innovation ecosystem partner supporting Pasadena Space Apps event.
- CDW-GminorTechnology solutions partner collaborating on Pasadena Space Apps Challenge.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Space Apps Challenge competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NASA Tournament Lab (NTL): NASA's other flagship open-innovation program run in partnership with Topcoder, hosting algorithmic and software challenges for cash prizes using NASA data. Most direct comparable to Space Apps Challenge because both are NASA-administered, open-innovation platforms using crowdsourced talent.
- Major League Hacking (MLH): Global student hackathon network running hundreds of events per year with a centralized platform for registration, judging, and project submissions. Closely mirrors Space Apps' 48–72 hour community-led hackathon format and global, distributed-location model, though MLH is private/VC-backed.
- Code for America: Non-profit civic-tech organization running government-data hackathons and brigades to build open-source civic apps using public datasets. Closely mirrors Space Apps' 'open data + civic innovation + open-source solutions' value proposition in a different domain.
- HeroX: Open innovation challenge platform spun out of the XPRIZE organization; specifically hosts crowdsourced prize challenges with aerospace and government sponsors. Same problem-brief + open-submission + prize model as Space Apps Challenge.
- Devpost (now part of MLH): Online hackathon platform where companies and governments host innovation contests, including NASA challenges historically. Operates the same challenge-host + participant marketplace model with prizes.
- Wazoku (formerly InnoCentive): Corporate open-innovation platform for running external challenges and crowdsourcing solutions, historically with NASA and other government clients. Same challenge-driven, crowd-solved innovation format as Space Apps.
- AngelHack: Global hackathon operator running community-led developer events across multiple cities worldwide. Matches Space Apps on distributed in-person hackathon orchestration and community-led model.
- HackerEarth: Hackathon hosting platform used by enterprises globally to run developer innovation events, with similar registration, judging, and submission tooling. Closely comparable on the platform-and-event-services axis of Space Apps Challenge.
- Topcoder: Crowdsourced competitive programming and design challenge platform; partners with NASA Tournament Lab and runs a similar open-innovation model with prizes and corporate-sponsored tracks. Comparable in challenge-and-submission mechanics and NASA relationship.
Broad incumbents
- NASA Solve (Citizen Science Challenges): NASA's own citizen-science and prize-challenges portal aggregating multiple open-participation programs. Strong thematic overlap as a sibling NASA initiative, though broader in scope (not hackathon-only).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Space Apps Challenge social profiles
Digital presenceSpace Apps Challenge financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Space Apps Challenge leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Space Apps Challenge funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Space Apps Challenge M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Space Apps Challenge
What does Space Apps Challenge do?
Space Apps Challenge is NASA's annual international hackathon that convenes global problem solvers for 48-72 hours to address challenges in aeronautics, space station operations, the solar system, Earth observation, and Mars exploration using NASA open data. Participants form teams at physical locations or virtually, develop open-source solutions, and submit projects for evaluation by NASA experts and community voting. The program is free for all participants and operates as a government-sponsored innovation initiative under NASA's Office of the Chief Information Officer.
Is Space Apps Challenge a public or private company?
Space Apps Challenge is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Space Apps Challenge founded?
Space Apps Challenge was founded in 2012. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Space Apps Challenge based?
Space Apps Challenge is headquartered in Midland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Space Apps Challenge make money?
One revenue line is on record: NASA Incubation Program.
Who are Space Apps Challenge's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NASA Tournament Lab (NTL), Major League Hacking (MLH), Code for America, HeroX, Devpost (now part of MLH), Wazoku (formerly InnoCentive), AngelHack, HackerEarth and Topcoder. NASA Solve (Citizen Science Challenges) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Space Apps Challenge have an API?
No public API is recorded for Space Apps Challenge.
What industry is Space Apps Challenge in?
Space Apps Challenge's product category is Innovation Hackathon Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAE, Space & Astronomy Programs, with a secondary code of BPADAAAK, International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations. Its NAICS code is 927110.