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By NASA
Freelancer NASA’s Sustainable Business Model Challenge is looking for entrepreneurs, startups, and researchers to leverage the agency’s publicly available Earth system science data to develop commercial solutions for climate challenges.
This opportunity, with a submission deadline of June 13, bridges the gap between vast climate data and actionable solutions by inviting solvers to transform data into sustainable business models that support climate resilience and decision-making.
“Creative, outcome-driven entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our country’s economy, and we’re excited to see the sustainable climate solutions they’re able to come up with when working closely with NASA’s vast resources and data,” said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for the NASA Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, which is sponsoring the challenge.
Through the Sustainable Business Model Challenge, NASA aims to foster a new set of sustainable enterprises capable of turning climate insights into tangible market-ready services, ultimately contributing to a more resilient future for vulnerable communities, businesses, and ecosystems. NASA is committed to broadening participation in its solicitations and fostering technology advancements.
By engaging new entrepreneurs, the challenge serves as a pathway to NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, helping scale solutions to advance the global response to climate change and encourage a more sustainable future. From its vantage point in space, NASA holds a wealth of data that can inform new approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation.
Participants will submit a 10-page business concept paper that includes details on how they will incorporate NASA climate or Earth system data to deliver a product or service. Up to ten winning teams will receive $10,000 each, along with admission to a 10-week capability development training designed to strengthen any future proposals for potential NASA funding.
NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, is part of America’s Seed Fund, the nation’s largest source of early-stage funding for innovative technologies. Through this program, entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses with less than 500 employees can receive funding and non-monetary support to build, mature, and commercialize their technologies, advancing NASA missions and advancing the nations aerospace economy.
Ensemble is hosting the challenge on behalf of NASA. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge. The program supports global public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.
The deadline to participate in NASA’s Sustainable Business Model Challenge is June 13, 2025.
For more information about the challenge, visit: https://nasabusinesschallenge.org/
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By NASA
Climate change presents one of the most urgent crises of our time, with increasing threats to life, infrastructure, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. Climate change is no longer a distant concern; its effects are being felt now and are projected to intensify if emissions continue unabated. The consequences are severe and irreversible for people today, with rapidly shrinking glaciers and ice sheets, rising sea levels, and more intense heat waves already occurring. Scientists predict even more profound impacts, such as an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, extended drought periods, and stronger tropical cyclones. By 2100, sea levels could rise by up to 6.5 feet1, displacing coastal communities and disrupting ecosystems. In the U.S., the effects vary by region—wildfires in the West have doubled in area burned, and rising sea levels threaten infrastructure in the Southeast. Innovative, data-driven solutions are essential to mitigate these growing risks. From the unique vantage point in space, NASA collects critical long-term observations of our changing planet. NASA produces vast amounts of Earth system science data from satellites, radars, and ships, as well as model outputs, offering a wealth of opportunities for innovative thinkers to leverage these sources. The Sustainable Business Model Challenge is designed to identify and foster sustainable business models built around NASA’s Earth system science data. This challenge invites entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and innovators to use NASA’s publicly available climate and Earth system data sources to create sustainable business models to address climate challenges.
Award: $100,000 in total prizes
Open Date: January 16, 2025
Close Date: June 13, 2025
For more information, visit: https://nasabusinesschallenge.org/
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By NASA
6 Min Read NASA International Space Apps Challenge Announces 2024 Global Winners
The 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge was hosted at 485 events in 163 countries and territories. Credits: NASA NASA Space Apps has named 10 global winners, recognizing teams from around the world for their exceptional innovation and collaboration during the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge. As the largest annual global hackathon, this event invites participants to leverage open data from NASA and its space agency partners to tackle real-world challenges on Earth and in space.
Last year’s hackathon welcomed 93,520 registered participants, including space, science, technology, and storytelling enthusiasts of all ages. Participants gathered at local events in 163 countries and territories, forming teams to address the challenges authored by NASA subject matter experts. These challenges included subjects/themes/questions in ocean ecosystems, exoplanet exploration, Earth observation, planetary seismology, and more.
The 2024 Global Winners were determined out of 9,996 project submissions and judged by subject matter experts from NASA and space agency partners.
“These 10 exceptional teams created projects that reflect our commitment to understanding our planet and exploring beyond, with the potential to transform Earth and space science for the benefit of all,” said Dr. Keith Gaddis, NASA Space Apps Challenge program scientistat NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The NASA Space Apps Challenge showcases the potential of every idea and individual. I am excited to see how these innovators will shape and inspire the future of science and exploration.”
You can watch the Global Winners Announcement here to meet these winning teams and learn about the inspiration behind their projects.
2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge Global Winners
Best Use of Science Award: WMPGang
Team Members: Dakota C., Ian C., Maximilian V., Simon S.
Challenge: Create an Orrery Web App that Displays Near-Earth Objects
Country/Territory: Waterloo,Canada
Using their skills in programming, data analysis, and visualization, WMPGang created a web app that identifies satellite risk zones using real-time data on Near-Earth Objects and meteor streams.
Learn more about WMPGang’s SkyShield: Protecting Earth and Satellites from Space Hazards project Best Use of Data Award: GaamaRamma
Team Members: Aakash H., Arun G., Arthur A., Gabriel A., May K.
Challenge: Leveraging Earth Observation Data for Informed Agricultural Decision-Making
Country/Territory: Universal Event, United States
GaamaRamma’s team of tech enthusiasts aimed to create a sustainable way to help farmers efficiently manage water availability in the face of drought, pests, and disease.
Learn more about GaamaRamma’s Waterwise project Best Use of Technology Award: 42 QuakeHeroes
Team Members: Alailton A., Ana B., Gabriel C., Gustavo M., Gustavo T., Larissa M.
Challenge: Seismic Detection Across the Solar System
Country/Territory: Maceió, Brazil
Team 42 QuakeHeroes employed a deep neural network model to identify the precise locations of seismic events within time-series data. They used advanced signal processing techniques to isolate and analyze unique components of non-stationary signals.
Learn more about 42 QuakeHeroes’ project Galactic Impact Award: NVS-knot
Team Members: Oksana M., Oleksandra M., Prokipchyn Y., Val K.
Challenge: Leveraging Earth Observation Data for Informed Agricultural Decision-Making
Country/Territory: Kyiv, Ukraine
The NVS-knot team assessed planting conditions using surface soil moisture and evapotranspiration data, then created an app that empowers farmers to manage planting risks.
Learn more about NVS-knot’s 2plant | ! 2plant project Best Mission Concept Award: AsturExplorers
Team Members: Coral M., Daniel C., Daniel V., Juan B., Samuel G., Vladimir C.
Challenge: Landsat Reflectance Data: On the Fly and at Your Fingertips
Country/Territory: Gijón, Spain
AsturExplorers created Landsat Connect, a web app that provides a simple, intuitive way to track Landast satellites and access Landsat surface reflectance data. The app also allows users to set a target location and receive notifications when Landsat satellites pass over their area.
Learn more about AsturExplorers’ Landsat Connect project Most Inspirational Award: Innovisionaries
Team Members: Rikzah K., Samira K., Shafeeqa J., Umamah A.
Challenge: SDGs in the Classroom
Country/Territory: Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Innovisionaries developed Eco-Metropolis to inspire sustainability through gameplay. This city-building game engages players in making critical urban planning and resource management decisions based on real-world environmental data.
Learn more about Innovisionaries’ Eco-Metropolis: Sustainable City Simulation project Best Storytelling Award: TerraTales
Team Members: Ahmed R., Fatma E., Habiba A., Judy A., Maya M.
Challenge: Tell Us a Climate Story!
Country/Territory: Cairo, Egypt
TerraTales shared stories of how Earth’s changing climate affects three unique regions: Egypt, Brazil, and Germany. The web app also features an artificial intelligence (AI) model for climate forecasting and an interactive game to encourage users to make eco-friendly choices.
Learn more about TerraTale’s project Global Connection Award: Asteroid Destroyer
Team Members: Kapeesh K., Khoi N., Sathyajit L., Satyam S.
Challenge: Navigator for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO): Mapping the Characterizable Exoplanets in our Galaxy
Country/Territory: Saskatoon, Canada
Team Asteroid Destroyer honed in on exoplanets, utilizing data processing and machine learning techniques to map exoplanets based on size, temperature, and distance.
Learn more about Asteroid Destroyer’s project Art & Technology Award: Connected Earth Museum
Team Members: Gabriel M., Luc R., Lucas R., Mattheus L., Pedro C., Riccardo S.
Challenge: Imagine our Connected Earth
Country/Territory: Campinas, Brazil
Team Connected Earth Museum created an immersive virtual museum experience to raise awareness of Earth’s changing climate. An AI host guides users through an interactive gallery featuring 3D and 2D visualizations, including a time series on Earth and ocean temperatures, population density, wildfires, and more.
Learn more about Connected Earth Museums’ project Local Impact Award: Team I.O.
Team Members: Frank R., Jan K., Raphael R., Ryan Z., Victoria M.
Challenge: Community Mapping
Country/Territory: Florianópolis, Brazil
Team I.O. bridges the gap between complex Geographic Information Systems data and user-friendly communication, making critical environmental information accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise.
Learn more about Team I.O.’s G.R.O.W. (Global Recovery and Observation of Wildfires) project Want to take part in the 2025 NASA Space Apps Challenge? Mark your calendars for October 4 and 5! Registration will open in July. At that time, participants will be able to register for a local event hosted by NASA Space Apps leads from around the world. You can stay connected with NASA Space Apps on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Space Apps is funded by NASA’s Earth Science Division through a contract with Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, and SecondMuse.
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Last Updated Jan 16, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
3 Min Read NASA Scientists Find New Human-Caused Shifts in Global Water Cycle
Cracked mud and salt on the valley floor in Death Valley National Park in California can become a reflective pool after rains. (File photo) Credits: NPS/Kurt Moses In a recently published paper, NASA scientists use nearly 20 years of observations to show that the global water cycle is shifting in unprecedented ways. The majority of those shifts are driven by activities such as agriculture and could have impacts on ecosystems and water management, especially in certain regions.
“We established with data assimilation that human intervention in the global water cycle is more significant than we thought,” said Sujay Kumar, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and a co-author of the paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The shifts have implications for people all over the world. Water management practices, such as designing infrastructure for floods or developing drought indicators for early warning systems, are often based on assumptions that the water cycle fluctuates only within a certain range, said Wanshu Nie, a research scientist at NASA Goddard and lead author of the paper.
“This may no longer hold true for some regions,” Nie said. “We hope that this research will serve as a guide map for improving how we assess water resources variability and plan for sustainable resource management, especially in areas where these changes are most significant.”
One example of the human impacts on the water cycle is in North China, which is experiencing an ongoing drought. But vegetation in many areas continues to thrive, partially because producers continue to irrigate their land by pumping more water from groundwater storage, Kumar said. Such interrelated human interventions often lead to complex effects on other water cycle variables, such as evapotranspiration and runoff.
Nie and her colleagues focused on three different kinds of shifts or changes in the cycle: first, a trend, such as a decrease in water in a groundwater reservoir; second, a shift in seasonality, like the typical growing season starting earlier in the year, or an earlier snowmelt; and third a change in extreme events, like “100-year floods” happening more frequently.
The scientists gathered remote sensing data from 2003 to 2020 from several different NASA satellite sources: the Global Precipitation Measurement mission satellite for precipitation data, a soil moisture dataset from the European Space Agency’s Climate Change Initiative, and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites for terrestrial water storage data. They also used products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite instrument to provide information on vegetation health.
“This paper combines several years of our team’s effort in developing capabilities on satellite data analysis, allowing us to precisely simulate continental water fluxes and storages across the planet,” said Augusto Getirana, a research scientist at NASA Goddard and a co-author of the paper.
The study results suggest that Earth system models used to simulate the future global water cycle should evolve to integrate the ongoing effects of human activities. With more data and improved models, producers and water resource managers could understand and effectively plan for what the “new normal” of their local water situation looks like, Nie said.
By Erica McNamee
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
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Last Updated Jan 16, 2025 EditorKate D. RamsayerContactKate D. Ramsayerkate.d.ramsayer@nasa.gov Related Terms
Earth Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Goddard Space Flight Center Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Water & Energy Cycle Explore More
4 min read NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement Mission: 10 years, 10 stories
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By NASA
Creating a golden streak in the night sky, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander soars upward after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 15, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The Blue Ghost lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface to further understand the Moon and help prepare for future human missions.Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux A suite of NASA scientific investigations and technology demonstrations is on its way to our nearest celestial neighbor aboard a commercial spacecraft, where they will provide insights into the Moon’s environment and test technologies to support future astronauts landing safely on the lunar surface under the agency’s Artemis campaign.
Carrying science and tech on Firefly Aerospace’s first CLPS or Commercial Lunar Payload Services flight for NASA, Blue Ghost Mission 1 launched at 1:11 a.m. EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The company is targeting a lunar landing on Sunday, March 2.
“This mission embodies the bold spirit of NASA’s Artemis campaign – a campaign driven by scientific exploration and discovery,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Each flight we’re part of is vital step in the larger blueprint to establish a responsible, sustained human presence at the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Each scientific instrument and technology demonstration brings us closer to realizing our vision. Congratulations to the NASA, Firefly, and SpaceX teams on this successful launch.”
Once on the Moon, NASA will test and demonstrate lunar drilling technology, regolith (lunar rocks and soil) sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. The data captured could also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact our home planet.
“NASA leads the world in space exploration, and American companies are a critical part of bringing humanity back to the Moon,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We learned many lessons during the Apollo Era which informed the technological and science demonstrations aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 – ensuring the safety and health of our future science instruments, spacecraft, and, most importantly, our astronauts on the lunar surface. I am excited to see the incredible science and technological data Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will deliver in the days to come.”
As part of NASA’s modern lunar exploration activities, CLPS deliveries to the Moon will help humanity better understand planetary processes and evolution, search for water and other resources, and support long-term, sustainable human exploration of the Moon in preparation for the first human mission to Mars.
There are 10 NASA payloads flying on this flight:
Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) will characterize heat flow from the interior of the Moon by measuring the thermal gradient and conductivity of the lunar subsurface. It will take several measurements to about a 10-foot final depth using pneumatic drilling technology with a custom heat flow needle instrument at its tip. Lead organization: Texas Tech University Lunar PlanetVac (LPV) is designed to collect regolith samples from the lunar surface using a burst of compressed gas to drive the regolith into a sample chamber for collection and analysis by various instruments. Additional instrumentation will then transmit the results back to Earth. Lead organization: Honeybee Robotics Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR) serves as a target for lasers on Earth to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. The retroreflector that will fly on this mission could also collect data to understand various aspects of the lunar interior and address fundamental physics questions. Lead organization: University of Maryland Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) will determine how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment throughout the lunar day. The RAC instrument will measure accumulation rates of lunar regolith on the surfaces of several materials including solar cells, optical systems, coatings, and sensors through imaging to determine their ability to repel or shed lunar dust. The data captured will allow the industry to test, improve, and protect spacecraft, spacesuits, and habitats from abrasive regolith. Lead organization: Aegis Aerospace Radiation Tolerant Computer (RadPC) will demonstrate a computer that can recover from faults caused by ionizing radiation. Several RadPC prototypes have been tested aboard the International Space Station and Earth-orbiting satellites, but now will demonstrate the computer’s ability to withstand space radiation as it passes through Earth’s radiation belts, while in transit to the Moon, and on the lunar surface. Lead organization: Montana State University Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) is an active dust mitigation technology that uses electric fields to move and prevent hazardous lunar dust accumulation on surfaces. The EDS technology is designed to lift, transport, and remove particles from surfaces with no moving parts. Multiple tests will demonstrate the feasibility of the self-cleaning glasses and thermal radiator surfaces on the Moon. In the event the surfaces do not receive dust during landing, EDS has the capability to re-dust itself using the same technology. Lead organization: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) will capture a series of X-ray images to study the interaction of solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field that drives geomagnetic disturbances and storms. Deployed and operated on the lunar surface, this instrument will provide the first global images showing the edge of Earth’s magnetic field for critical insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces surrounding our planet impact it. Lead organizations: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Boston University, and Johns Hopkins University Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS) will characterize the structure and composition of the Moon’s mantle by measuring electric and magnetic fields. This investigation will help determine the Moon’s temperature structure and thermal evolution to understand how the Moon has cooled and chemically differentiated since it formed. Lead organization: Southwest Research Institute Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) will demonstrate the possibility of acquiring and tracking signals from Global Navigation Satellite System constellations, specifically GPS and Galileo, during transit to the Moon, during lunar orbit, and on the lunar surface. If successful, LuGRE will be the first pathfinder for future lunar spacecraft to use existing Earth-based navigation constellations to autonomously and accurately estimate their position, velocity, and time. Lead organizations: NASA Goddard, Italian Space Agency Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) will use stereo imaging photogrammetry to capture the impact of rocket plume on lunar regolith as the lander descends on the Moon’s surface. The high-resolution stereo images will aid in creating models to predict lunar regolith erosion, which is an important task as bigger, heavier payloads are delivered to the Moon in close proximity to each other. This instrument also flew on Intuitive Machine’s first CLPS delivery. Lead organization: NASA’s Langley Research Center “With 10 NASA science and technology instruments launching to the Moon, this is the largest CLPS delivery to date, and we are proud of the teams that have gotten us to this point,” said Chris Culbert, program manager for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We will follow this latest CLPS delivery with more in 2025 and later years. American innovation and interest to the Moon continues to grow, and NASA has already awarded 11 CLPS deliveries and plans to continue to select two more flights per year.”
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander is targeted to land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a more than 300-mile-wide basin located in the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side. The NASA science on this flight will gather valuable scientific data studying Earth’s nearest neighbor and helping pave the way for the first Artemis astronauts to explore the lunar surface later this decade.
Learn more about NASA’s CLPS initiative at:
https://www.nasa.gov/clps
-end-
Amber Jacobson / Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov
Natalia Riusech / Nilufar Ramji
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov
Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jan 15, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Artemis Earth's Moon Johnson Space Center Kennedy Space Center Lunar Science Science & Research Science Mission Directorate View the full article
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