The term “hackathon” appeared at the end of the last century, specifically in 1999. Initially, it referred to meetings of groups of programmers who gathered to work together on a specific task or idea. Over time, the scope of hackathons has expanded significantly: today, they cover areas such as modern technology, the military, ecology, medicine, and even fashion.
However, the mechanics of the event remain almost unchanged. Within a limited time frame (from several hours to several days), participants must develop a solution or present an idea for completing the hackathon task.
These events come in various formats: from small local meetings to international online marathons that bring together participants from dozens of countries. Hackathons are most often organized by universities, companies, non-governmental organizations, or government institutions. Participants in such events are mainly specialists or students from various fields: programmers, scientists, designers, analysts, marketers, engineers, etc.
Space hackathons and their types
One of the most interesting areas of modern hackathons is space. Such events combine engineering creativity, data analytics, a scientific approach, and, of course, an interest in exploring our Universe. Participants work on tasks related to space exploration, Earth monitoring, developing technologies for satellites, robotic systems, or even studying living conditions beyond our planet.
The first hackathons focused on space exploration began to actively appear in the 2010s. Among the most famous is the Cassini Hackathon, launched in 2021 by the European Commission with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA). Traditionally, over the course of several days, hackathon participants propose their solutions in the field of defense, security, and space technologies to strengthen EU security.
Another well-known ActInSpace format is an international space innovation competition held with the support of the European Space Agency and the French Space Agency (CNES). It is a large-scale hackathon that brings together participants in many cities around the world. Its goal is to find innovative ways to use space technologies in everyday life on Earth. Here, participants not only create technical solutions in one day, but also develop business models that can grow into startups.
In addition to large international formats, local space hackathons – events held by universities, innovation centers, or public organizations – are becoming increasingly popular. They are distinguished by the fact that their tasks are formed around a specific location: monitoring the environment using satellite images, developing educational projects, or popularizing space science among young people.
However, the largest and most famous space hackathon today is the NASA Space Apps Challenge. The event is held under the auspices of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration. For 48 hours, participants work on one of the tasks proposed by the global organizers. Each of the challenges is in one way or another related to the study of space phenomena, exoplanets, distant galaxies, and, of course, life on Earth. Since 2012, more than 370,000 enthusiasts from over 185 countries and territories have joined Space Apps.
NASA launched the Space Apps Challenge hackathon to make its open data available not only to scientists and researchers, but also to anyone interested in space and technology. The organizers want to show that space is not something distant and abstract: the agency’s data is open, so anyone, from students to entrepreneurs, can use it to create tools, services, or research that not only help us understand the universe but also improve life on Earth.
Ukraine at the NASA Space Apps Challenge
Ukraine is also on the list of countries participating in the NASA Space Apps Challenge: we joined the international initiative in 2016. Since then, local stages of the hackathon have been held in various cities: Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Vinnytsia. Each of them brought together dozens and hundreds of young engineers, students, researchers, programmers, artists, and simply space enthusiasts.
Over the years, Ukrainian teams have repeatedly reached the final stage of international selection and received recognition from NASA. For example, in 2016, the MarsHopper team from Kyiv received the People’s Choice Winner award. They proposed the idea of creating an unmanned vehicle that could use CO2 to study the surface of Mars. That same year, Asterion-CYA from Kropyvnytskyi made it into the list of 25 projects worldwide with its application for analyzing asteroids for their potential danger. In 2017, the Spacer team from Dnipro was among the top 10 in the People’s Choice category.
In 2019, Adeptus Memorius from Vinnytsia received the Global Finalist award. The team created a prototype device for long-term storage, reading, and rewriting of information. FireWay from Dnipro made it to the list of 10 global winners in 2020 with its idea of creating a new type of universal connector for transporting liquids, gases, and electricity. The following year, a team from Odesa distinguished itself: Seeds must grow! Made it onto the list of Global Nominees with a project for a module that uses aeroponics to grow vegetables or useful greens.
In 2022, Next Space Lab from Dnipro received the Global Finalists Honorable Mentions award for its project on sodium-sulfur batteries for operating devices in Venusian conditions. Storm Prophet from Kyiv won the 2023 hackathon in the Best Use of Data category. It proposed a model for accurately predicting geomagnetic storm levels. Last year, three Ukrainian teams made it into the list of the 40 best from around the world: Craft Lab from Dnipro, LazyVarenyky, and NVS-knot from Kyiv. The latter won in the Galactic Impact category with the idea of creating an innovative application that allows farmers to track risks during sowing.
The Dnipro location is traditionally one of the most active. For nine years in a row, a community has been forming here that brings together educators, engineers, representatives of technology companies, and students from technical universities. Participants from Dnipro regularly achieve high results, presenting solutions that combine engineering, robotics, and science. The local stage of the NASA Space Apps Challenge Dnipro is consistently organized by the NGO “Noosphere Association,” founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Max Polyakov.
In 2025, the local stage in Dnipro, which took place on October 4-5, became the largest in Europe, bringing together more than 430 participants who formed 90 teams and presented 80 projects. According to the evaluation results, eight teams became winners (the most in the history of Ukrainian local stages of the NASA hackathon!): StarUnity, Einstein’s Sect, Space Writers, Genova, TurboNova, Zephir, KPI_IASA_SOM, and Interstellar_ExoVision. Together with the winners of the local stage in Kyiv – ADASTRUM, PL KPI, Vibecosmers, SpaceWorms – they will represent Ukraine at the global stage.
Space Apps as a springboard for new stories
Hackathons are not just about winning or completing tasks quickly. Above all, they are an opportunity to go beyond the usual, test yourself under time constraints, and find like-minded people with whom you can create something new. That is why participating in such events often marks the beginning of a long professional or even life journey.
The Space Apps Challenge provides an opportunity to join a community that thinks globally. Here, you can try working with NASA’s open data, find a team, and test your ideas. For many participants, it becomes a springboard for their education or career, and for some, it is a starting point for their own business.
One such example is the story of Evhen Piotrovskyi, who this year served as a judge for the local stage of the hackathon in Dnipro, having once been a participant himself. In 2017, Evhen, along with his friends from university and his girlfriend, took part in the NASA Space Apps Challenge for the first time. Their team, Vasil, created the FireProb platform for predicting the location and time of a fire.
“It was there that I saw how my colleagues behaved under conditions of limited time, disputes, and the search for ideas and solutions. We did not sleep; we replaced each other in difficult tasks. It was exhausting, but at the same time inspiring. We did not make it through the global selection process, but I gained something more: an understanding of the people around me. Reliable, intelligent, resilient, those who know how to listen and think critically. Together with them, we created Yojji, a company that still works with clients from all over the world,” recalls Evhen.
Yojji is a custom software development company. It creates web and mobile applications for clients around the world, primarily startups and medium-sized businesses, providing full-cycle development services.
In 2017, the grand prize for winning the global stage of Space Apps was a trip to the United States to watch a space rocket launch. A few years after participating in the hackathon, Evhen finally realized his dream. And this year, he returned to the NASA Space Apps Challenge as a judge.
“Dnipro brought together an incredible number of talented people and interesting ideas. It was not easy to evaluate more than 80 projects and choose the best ones — each of them was unique in its own way. I expected to see creative solutions, but I got much more: mature ideas, well-thought-out approaches, and teams that already think like startups. The hackathon proved once again that innovation is born where there is passion, curiosity, and a desire to act,” says Evhen Piotrovskyi.
What lies ahead
Currently, teams from around the world, including Ukraine, are awaiting the next stages of the hackathon. On November 5, the list of Global Nominees for the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 will be announced, and on the 26th, the Global Finalists will be announced. The names of the 10 winning teams will be announced on December 18. For them, the hackathon journey will not end even after the results are announced. NASA Space Apps organizers have announced that the winning teams will have the opportunity to meet with a NASA scientist early next year to discuss their projects and celebrate their victory with the agency’s team.
Participation in space hackathons, and in particular in the NASA Space Apps Challenge, is an invaluable experience for young engineers, scientists, designers, and researchers from around the world. And, of course, for Ukrainians, who prove every year that they have ideas capable of changing perceptions of space, technology, and the future.
Now all that remains is to wait for the results of the global stage and cheer on the Ukrainian teams. Each of them has already proven that they are capable of thinking big, working together, and creating innovations that the whole world can see.
Partner content
link