C3: COSMIC Capstone Challenge
2026 – 2027 Season
The COSMIC Capstone Challenge (C3) is a competition that invites students to develop conceptual missions & designs for spacecraft operations in-orbit or on the lunar surface.
Five challenge tracks are offered in 2026-27: (1) Orbital Manufacturing and Assembly; (2) Lunar Operations; (3) Orbital Servicing; (4) Construction; (5) In-Space for Earth
The Information Packet with full event details will release June 9th
We are currently accepting registration for Mentors, Judges, and Universities for the 2026-2027 C3 Season
The Challenge Tracks
Track 1 Challenge: Orbital Manufacturing and Assembly (C3-Manufacturing)
Design a payload, to be hosted aboard Arkisys’ Bosuns Locker, that would demonstrate a chain of three or more discrete operations providing a capability important for orbital manufacturing or assembly.
Track 2 Challenge: Lunar Operations (C3-Lunar)
Design a payload, to be delivered by the Griffin lander, that can prepare the lunar surface for a Fission Surface Power reactor, that has humans residing within 1km. Prototype required.
Track 3 Challenge: Orbital Servicing (C3-Servicing)
Design a modular and maintainable spacecraft, capable of autonomously servicing multiple client satellites, to provide critical functions. The spacecraft can be designed around platforms such as ESPAStar, or other practical, existent spacecraft that can accommodate the necessary servicing features, like robotic arms, refueling ports, grappling stations, etc.
Track 4 Challenge(Still being refined): In-Space Construction (C3-Construction)
Design completely robotic space station that can evolve in size and capability over time. Perform 5 important functions, including at least 2 operations that currently require human interaction. Describe how the station would be constructed with robots, using as much autonomy as possible.
Track 5 Challenge: In-Space for Earth (C3-Return)
Design a manufacturing payload hosted by Dispatch’s reentry vehicle to produce materials in space with properties impossible to achieve on Earth.
Who Can Join
C3 is open to US-based college students. In addition to class-based teams, students can pursue C3 through student clubs, directed study or independent study.
Anyone who is interested in In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) or engineering capstones broadly.
Key Dates
While C3 has recommended milestones, including a Midpoint Showcase in December 2026, the main deliverables are the Final Outbrief (required) and technical paper (recommended), both due before the April 2027 C3 Final Showcase, on which the judge’s scores will be based.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Preferred Registration Deadline | September 11th, 2026 |
| Virtual on-boarding sessions for students, professors and COSMIC mentors (Recorded for later registrants) | September 14th, 2026 |
| Late Registration Deadline* | October 12th, 2026 |
| Midpoint Showcase | December 7th – 11th, 2026 |
| Lunar prototype testing at NASA Marshall Lunar Regolith Terrain | April 5th – 9th, 2026 |
| Presentation and judging | April 12th-16th, 2027 |
Want to be a Mentor?
Experienced professionals — we need you! Become a C3 mentor, judge, or sponsor and inspire the next generation of ISAM leaders. If you are not a COSMIC Member, join COSMIC to participate in C3.
Inspire
Inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists, artists, and other visionaries to engage in, and contribute to ISAM challenges, create new methods, and grow our future workforce.
Innovate
Innovate within C3 and beyond. Mentors could continue design development of promising concepts post-competition, either by providing funding or through internal efforts.
Connect
Connect with fellow ISAM professionals in COSMIC serving as C3 judges, mentors, and sponsors. Identify future job candidates that will develop interest and expertise in ISAM.
Questions, suggestions, and concerns can be directed to C3@cosmicspace.org.
Thank you to all of our student teams who participated in the 2026 C3 Final Showcase!
Check out all four days of presentations:
View and Download the 2025-2026 Information Packet
Learn what last year’s teams are worked on:
2025-2026 C3 Statements of Intent – COSMIC
2024 – 2025 C3 Showcase
2024-2025 C3 Final Presentations took place April 14-16. Over the three-day competition, presentations were made in-person and virtually by twenty-three groups of 230+ college students from around the country.
“The COSMIC C3 participants have been absolutely brilliant. The creativity and ingenuity brought forth by the students, combined with the mentorship and perspective of the experts who are volunteering their time, have produced some truly novel concepts that I suspect could be adopted for real demonstrations over the next few years.”
-Jacob Rome, COSMIC Workforce Development Focus Area Co-Lead.
2024-2025 C3 Results and videos can be found HERE.