COSMIC Capstone Challenge 2026–27

No application or relationship exists. This record does not establish eligibility, availability, funding, recommendation, provider interest, or authorization to apply.

Provider

Consortium for Space Mobility and ISAM Capabilities

Kind

Student capstone and professional service

Status

active; registration open

Timing

Registration is open for universities, mentors, and judges. The preferred registration deadline is September 11, 2026; late registration closes October 12 or earlier when 100 teams have registered. The season continues through April 2027 showcases and judging.

Eligibility

Student participation is limited to U.S.-based college students through class teams, clubs, directed study, or independent study. Track 6 is restricted to U.S. persons. The official page says mentors and judges must join COSMIC if they are not already members; registration, qualifications, service scope, and organizer approval remain separate requirements.

Access notes

The six current tracks include orbital manufacturing and assembly, lunar operations, orbital servicing, in-space construction, in-space production for Earth, and autonomous space clusters. Mentor or judge service creates time, expertise, conflict, confidentiality, attribution, membership, export, and dual-use obligations; university and student participation has separate instructional and team-cap rules.

Official link checked

2026-07-26

Relationship

indexed only; no formal relationship

Potential fit and evidence boundary

In-space servicing, assembly, manufacturing, construction, autonomous clusters, workforce, and bounded systems mentoring

Evidence boundary: The official COSMIC C3 page supports the open registration status, current tracks, September 11 preferred and October 12 late deadlines, 100-team cap, U.S.-based college-student limit, U.S.-persons-only Track 6, and COSMIC-membership condition for mentors and judges. It does not establish student, mentor, judge, university, or sponsor eligibility, acceptance, assignment, capacity, confidentiality terms, intellectual-property treatment, export status, or relationship.

Task-specific matches

monitor · editorial task match

Autonomous maintenance and circular industry

C3 tracks address servicing, manufacturing, construction, autonomy, and workforce, while student eligibility, membership, export, challenge-owner, and service-role boundaries remain decisive.

Required artifact: A role-specific contribution plan with student-credit, membership, confidentiality, intellectual-property, export, civil-and-defensive, time, and independence review.

Action status: proposed; not undertaken

Proposed founder action—not undertaken

Monitor the student pathway for eligible teams and evaluate mentor or judge service only if a qualified person, bounded civil systems contribution, membership decision, time commitment, conflict review, and separate authorization exist; do not register, join, mentor, judge, sponsor, or imply a COSMIC relationship without authorization.

Conflicts and change triggers

Conflicts: Membership, student power and credit, sponsor influence, challenge-owner interests, confidentiality, intellectual property, export restrictions, civil-and-defensive dual use, time commitment, and judging independence require role-specific review.

What would change this record? A change to registration status, deadlines, team cap, tracks, eligibility, membership, service, intellectual-property, confidentiality, export, judging, or showcase terms would change this assessment.

Verify on the official provider page↗ (opens external site in a new tab)

Substantive opportunity lead; independent review and official verification required before action · Last edited 2026-07-26 · Suggest a correction