SourceNASA TechLeap Prize: Orbital Clarity Challenge
Measuring orbital drag helps operators understand how solar activity affects satellites, improving the management of commercial fleets in space.
- The Orbital Clarity Challenge is the sixth challenge in the NASA TechLeap Prize series and opened on August 19, 2026
- A collaborative effort between NASA's Heliophysics Division, Flight Opportunities program, and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation
- Calls for inexpensive and scalable methods of measuring thermospheric density, pressure, or drag to be flown as hosted payloads across commercial fleets
- Up to four winners will advance concepts to flight-ready solutions within 12 months with up to $500,000 in prizes
- NASA intends to offer each winning team a test flight at no cost at the conclusion of the challenge
- Phase 1 registration closes October 28, 2026, and Phase 1 submission closes November 11, 2026