Two projects on exoplanets win the prizes at NASA International Space Apps Challenge in Barcelona

The NASA International Space Apps Challenge, the world’s leading hackathon, was held on 4, 5 and 6 October 2024 in Barcelona, at Campus 42 (Carrer d’Albert Einstein 11, 08042). This is the third time that the city has hosted this event as a local venue.

The hackathon is aimed at anyone interested in programming, science, design, storytelling, creation, technology or innovation. The aim is for participants to use open data from NASA and its partners, such as other space agencies, to develop solutions to the challenges we face on Earth and in space.

Within the framework of the Talent and Society programme of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC — Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) has collaborated as a sponsor, providing both mentors and members of the jury.

This year’s local edition, with 17 teams, had two winners, Cosmic_Explorer and Tycho.

The first team, Cosmic_Explorer, chose the challenge of developing an interface for students to learn about exoplanets and, in particular, the constellations visible from these planets.

In turn, Tycho decided to create a virtual reality game in which players take on the role of scientists and use real data and tools to explore stars, detect exoplanets and analyse their characteristics.