FSA’s middle and high school teams join an international NASA engineering competition featuring 70 team entries from 13 countries.
ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA — Fulton Science Academy Private School (FSA) is celebrating an exciting achievement as both its middle school and high school teams have been selected to participate in NASA’s 2026–2027 Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC).
The teams will join students from across the United States and around the world in NASA’s international engineering competition, which challenges young innovators to design, build, and test rovers capable of navigating terrain inspired by lunar exploration.
NASA’s official participating-team roster confirms FSA’s selection in both the human-powered and remote-control divisions. Participating teams are selected through a competitive proposal process, making this an important achievement and the beginning of a demanding engineering journey.
An International Field of Student Innovators
The 2026–2027 challenge includes 70 team entries representing 13 countries, according to a count of NASA’s published roster.
Of these, 26 entries are in the middle and high school divisions, representing 22 distinct organizations, including 13 U.S. schools, seven international schools, and two U.S. educational or robotics organizations.
Countries represented across the competition include Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The international participation highlights the reach of the challenge and the opportunity it offers students to contribute to a shared spirit of engineering exploration.
Two Teams, Two Engineering Challenges
Fulton Science Academy will participate in two distinct divisions, each requiring a different approach to engineering and problem-solving.
Middle School — Remote-Control Division
The middle school team will design and build a remotely controlled robotic rover capable of navigating challenging terrain and completing mission-related tasks.
Students will apply knowledge of robotics, programming, electronics, and mechanical engineering while testing and refining their designs.
High School — Human-Powered Division
The high school team will design, engineer, and manufacture a human-powered rover that students will operate across a demanding course simulating lunar terrain.
The project will challenge students to integrate mechanical design, structural engineering, fabrication, vehicle stability, and safety into a functioning rover.
Both teams will face the challenge of transforming engineering concepts into reliable vehicles through research, experimentation, testing, and continuous improvement.
Engineering Beyond the Classroom
NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge is a nine-month engineering experience that introduces students to challenges associated with space exploration.
Participating teams complete technical and safety reviews modeled on engineering practices used in NASA projects. Throughout the process, students must document their decisions, evaluate performance, overcome unexpected challenges, and communicate their solutions.
The experience offers valuable opportunities to strengthen technical knowledge, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and perseverance.
The challenge will culminate April 21–24, 2027, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Looking Ahead to April 2027
As the teams begin their journey toward the April 2027 competition in Huntsville, the Fulton Science Academy community has much to celebrate.
Their selection marks the beginning of an exciting opportunity to turn ambitious ideas into real engineering solutions.
With the guidance and support of their teachers, coaches, and mentors, students will spend the coming months designing, building, testing, and preparing their rovers for the challenges ahead.
Congratulations to Dr. Ramin Adams, Director of Student Research Programs and program coordinator, along with the participating students, their families, and the dedicated teachers and coaches who have contributed to this achievement.
We look forward to following the teams' progress as they represent Fulton Science Academy in NASA's international engineering challenge.
Follow the Teams’ Journey
NASA’s Official 2026–2027 Participating Teams
