National Indigenous Space Academy selects eight students for NASA placement

Eight First Nations university students from across Australia have been selected for the 2026 National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA). The program provides participants with a 10-week placement at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the United States, where they will work alongside scientists and engineers on active research and space missions.

Participants will engage in mentor-led projects, including studies on microorganisms aboard the International Space Station and the development of ocean exploration vehicles. Before their placement, students must complete a Space Boot Camp at Monash University covering topics such as aerodynamics, robotics, and astrophysics.

The initiative, founded in 2019, aims to increase Indigenous representation within the Australian space sector. To date, the program has supported 29 participants. The 2026 cohort includes students from institutions such as QUT, Monash University, the University of Sydney, and the University of Western Australia. Notably, Jordan Roulstone, a Warumungu man from QUT, has received the inaugural Boeing NISA Scholarship to focus on artificial intelligence applications in meteorology and space exploration.