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Definity Education · Flagship Program · Applications Open · Spring 2026
The Lander Challenge The Lander Challenge

Challenging ambitious
young people to build
self-landing rockets.

Live engines, working telemetry, actual flight. No simulations.

Apply Now See the milestones →
Students in headphones gathered around the rocket on the launch pad at golden hour
Student holding a rocket fin in the desert at sunset, smiling
§ 01 · The Challenge

Build something that lands itself.

The Lander Challenge is a national competition asking high school teams to design, build, and successfully fly a self-landing rocket. We provide funding, mentorship, and technical review. The teams provide the work.

No simulations. Live propulsion, working avionics, actual ground tests, actual flights.

Lander Challenge team holding a $15,000 prize check at Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering
Imperial College London team holding a $15,000 Lander Challenge check — 2nd in the world, 1st in UK and Europe

$15,000 prizes awarded · Teams from across the US and internationally

§ 02 · In Action
§ 03 · Grants

Collegiate Aerospace Development Grants

Funded by the Musk Foundation

Musk Foundation
$175K
Total Distributed
50
Teams Awarded
16
Countries
280
Applicants

Open to all collegiate aerospace teams · Lander Challenge participation not required

§ 04 · Milestones

Five technical milestones.

3 Winners Each · 15 Total Prizes
  1. 01 Milestone
    $15,000

    TVC Hotfire

    Static fire of a thrust-vector-controlled liquid engine — gimbal alignment plus a sustained hot fire.

  2. 02 Milestone
    $15,000

    Throttleable Engine Hotfire

    Static fire of a throttleable liquid engine — variable thrust under closed-loop control.

  3. 03 Milestone
    $25,000

    Tethered Hover

    Stable, controlled hover on a tethered vehicle for a sustained duration.

  4. 04 Milestone
    $25,000

    The Bess Touchdown Award

    Precision landing on the designated target with a controlled descent profile.

  5. 05 Milestone
    $50,000

    Hop

    A full ascent, translation, and propulsive landing — all subsystems integrated.

Milestone names sourced from the original challenge — descriptions are drafts, subject to revision.

§ 05 · Partners

Backed by working space companies.

The Spaceport Company Stoke Space Foresight Institute Friends of Amateur Rocketry Impulse Space Astrobotic The Spaceport Company Stoke Space Foresight Institute Friends of Amateur Rocketry Impulse Space Astrobotic The Spaceport Company Stoke Space Foresight Institute Friends of Amateur Rocketry Impulse Space Astrobotic The Spaceport Company Stoke Space Foresight Institute Friends of Amateur Rocketry Impulse Space Astrobotic The Spaceport Company Stoke Space Foresight Institute Friends of Amateur Rocketry Impulse Space Astrobotic The Spaceport Company Stoke Space Foresight Institute Friends of Amateur Rocketry Impulse Space Astrobotic
§ 06 · Apply

Apply to the Lander Challenge.

Open to collegiate teams worldwide. Apply as a team — solo applicants will be connected with others. Strong applicants demonstrate prior hardware work at any scale. We care more about taste and tenacity than credentials. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

  1. 01

    Submit

    A short written application + any prior project documentation.

  2. 02

    Review

    We read every application. Strong candidates get a technical conversation with a mentor.

  3. 03

    Kickoff

    Accepted teams receive funding, mentor pairings, and access to test facilities. The clock starts.

Start an application →
§ 07 · Questions

Questions about the Challenge?

Mentors, parents, prospective applicants, sponsors — write to us.

lander@definityproject.org →