Orbital Clarity ChallengeToday, NASA launched the Orbital Clarity Challenge, the sixth in the NASA TechLeap Prize series. A collaborative effort between NASA’s Heliophysics Division, Flight Opportunities program, and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, the challenge seeks to advance orbital drag measurement for safer, more predictable satellite flight paths. NASA invites applicants to propose low-cost, scalable approaches that enable proliferated measurements of density, pressure, or drag in low Earth orbit. Up to four winners will each receive up to $500,000 to develop a flight-ready solution across three prize phases. In addition, NASA intends to provide an opportunity for the winning team(s) to demonstrate their solution in orbit, at no cost.
Most satellites operate within the thermosphere, the thin upper layer of the atmosphere where drag is highly variable and is measured too infrequently to gain an accurate reading. Because drag corresponds directly to atmospheric density — which shifts continuously with solar and geomagnetic activity — it is the single largest source of uncertainty in predicting a spacecraft’s orbit and trajectory. The operational costs are substantial. Satellite operators maneuver to avoid collisions that may never have posed a real threat and carry extra propellant as insurance against orbits decaying faster than expected.
The rapid growth of commercial satellites presents an opportunity for improvement. Thousands of spacecraft already fly through the very orbits where better insight is most needed, and each one is a potential platform for collecting data. To leverage these satellites, the Orbital Clarity Challenge calls for low-cost methods of measuring thermospheric density, pressure, or drag in low Earth orbit. NASA is seeking approaches that are inexpensive and scalable enough to be produced in quantity and flown as hosted payloads industry-wide. Deployed across satellite constellations, low-cost sensors of this kind could take continuous measurements from many points at once and deliver the global, low-latency coverage that current density models lack.
The challenge will unfold across three phases, advancing up to four winners’ concepts to flight-ready solutions within 12 months. At the conclusion of the challenge, NASA intends to offer the winning team(s) a test flight at no cost.
Applicants planning to enter the Orbital Clarity Challenge must register by October 28, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Phase 1 submissions are due by November 11, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. The challenge team will host a virtual information session about the challenge at 1:00 p.m. ET on September 22 — sign up today.