Future Engineers Shine at NASA's 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition

The winner is…Salt Lake City, University of Utah. The Utah Student Robot Club presented the Artemis Award on May 22 at NASA's 2025 Lunabotics Challenge at the Space Education Center of the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Group in Florida.

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“Win is our motto for a whole year,” said Brycen Chaney, president of the University of Utah School of Student Robotics. “We have a mission and goal to compete further with our team and competition, but victory is right in front of our heads.”

Lunabotics is an annual challenge in which students design and build an autonomous and remotely controlled robot to navigate the surface of the moon to support Artemis movement. Utah students used robots to dig simulated lyrefresh fields, loose fragments of material on the moon's surface and built berths. Students competing with 37 other teams won the grand prize for the first time during the Lunabotics Challenge.

“During the 16th annual Lunabotics University Challenge, the team continued to raise standards in digging, transporting and storing Lunar Regolith and used clever remote control robots to mine, transporting and storing Lunar Regolith,” said Robert Mueller, senior technician at NASA Kennedy, a senior technician at the agency’s Bureau of Exploration Research and Technology Planning and the initial challenge of robots’ advanced product development. “New designs are revealed, and each team adopts a unique design and operational approach.”

The achievements of other teams were recognized: The University of Illinois University of Chicago won the first place in the Robotics Architecture Award. “It’s a comprehensive team effort,” said Elijah Wilkinson, senior and captain of the University of Illinois Chicago. “Our team works hard on this. We have people who design robots, people who program robots, people who write papers, people who connect robots; teamwork is really the reason for this.”

The University of Utah won second place, with Tuscaloosa's University of Alabama ranked third respectively. The award is intended to recognize teams who have won the highest score in the BERM building action at Artemis Arena. Based on its robot's ability to build guardrails using mining Regolith Simulant, the team was evaluated and proved effective lunar surface construction techniques.

To view the Robot Architecture Award winner’s mobile robot, click the following link: University of Illinois University of Chicago,,,,, University of Utah,,,,, Tuscaloosa University of Alabama.

Students at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana received the Caterpillar Autonomy Award for their work. The University of Alabama ranks second, followed by the University of Akron, Ohio. This award is awarded to the team that successfully completes the competition. It emphasizes the development and implementation of autonomous control systems in lunar robotics technology, reflecting real-life applications in remote and automated operations.

On November 16, 2022, I flew an Artemis on my flag and submitted it to the University of Chicago, Illinois, and the University of Virginia at the University of Charlottesville, as part of the Innovation Award. Recognize the team’s original ideas, create efficient, effective results, and solve problems.

Dr. Eric Meloche of Dupage College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and Jennifer Erickson, professor at Golden Colorado Mines, respectively, received the Artemis Educator Award, a recognition of educators, teachers or mentors to inspire their time and effort.

The University of Utah received the Communications Electricity Award for effective use, while the University of Virginia is the institution’s Moon and Asteroid Surface Science Award.

Colorado Mining School students first received the Systems Engineering Award. The University of Virginia’s Charlottesville University and the DuPage College of Glenn Erin, Illinois finished second and third.

Kurt Leucht

Kurt Leucht

Commentator, Leader of Lunabotics Competition and Software Development Team

Here is a list of other awards awarded to students: