Build A CubeSat Challenge (MIT Beaver Works)
A national MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute challenge in which teams of up to five U.S. high school students, guided by a coach, complete an online course and build hardware kits into satellite subsystems (power, optical payload, data analysis, wireless transmission) for a simulated Lunar Terrain Survey CubeSat mission, presenting via video to a panel in a live online final event.
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NASA Dream With Us: High School Engineering Challenge
A national FAA/NASA aviation engineering design challenge in which teams of 3-7 students in grades 9-12, guided by an adult coach, design an aircraft concept using NASA's Vehicle Sketch Pad software and an engineering design notebook to solve a real-world aviation problem, culminating in live judged presentations.
GAMA Aviation Design Challenge
A national high school competition run by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in which teams of at least three students use free X-Plane-powered flight simulation curricula to learn flight science, then modify an aircraft design and compete in a virtual fly-off scored on aerodynamic and performance metrics.
Space Settlement Design Competition
An international competition in which high school students are organized into simulated aerospace companies to respond to a Request for Proposal by designing a space settlement, culminating in judged regional and international finals with roles mirroring real aerospace firms.
ASHRAE High School Design Competition
A free, international virtual competition in which teams of 1-5 students ages 13-18 use SketchUp to design the HVAC system for an assigned building (2026: a fitness center in Cairo, Egypt), addressing heating/cooling loads, equipment selection, ductwork, and indoor air quality, judged by ASHRAE professionals for cash prizes.
Conrad Challenge (Aerospace & Aviation Category)
One of five tracks of the global Conrad Challenge innovation competition, in which teams of 2-5 students ages 13-18 develop entrepreneurial solutions involving flight, drones, or space exploration through Lean Canvas and Innovation Stage phases, culminating in the in-person Innovation Summit.
American Rocketry Challenge
World's largest student rocket competition; teams hit precise altitude/duration targets.