The NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge, the most important international STEAM hackathon, is coming back to Barcelona!

The NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge, held in the city for the third time, will offer students, professionals, entrepreneurs, and STEAM enthusiasts the opportunity to tackle global challenges through collaboration and innovation.

Held on October 4 and 5 at Campus 42 (Carrer d’Albert Einstein, 11), the NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge is driven by SpaceApps Spain and supported by Fundación Telefónica, the Government of Catalonia, and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya – IEEC), which will contribute by providing mentors to support the different teams in solving the global challenges set by the U.S. space agency.

The NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge is an international event that brings together creative minds passionate about science and technology to develop innovative solutions in fields such as sustainability, space exploration, health, and education. Initially focused (2012) on space science and technology, the NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge has since evolved to include challenges related to fields such as the arts, greatly increasing its popularity. The 2024 edition gathered more than 93,000 participants across 485 local events held simultaneously in over 160 countries, consolidating its position as the world’s largest STEAM hackathon.

The initiative presents a wide range of challenges, from software development to space exploration and storytelling. All solutions proposed by the teams for the different challenges must be based on open data provided by NASA and its partner space agencies.

A total of fifteen space agencies from around the world are taking part in this initiative, which is organized by NASA’s Earth Science Division in collaboration with its Open Innovation Initiative and Applied Sciences Program. Among the partner agencies are the European Space Agency (ESA), the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

Live this spectacular collaborative experience, where you’ll meet incredible people and contribute to creating solutions to improve life on Earth and in Space!

Registrations will open on Thursday, July 17, 2025.