# South African students win NASA space design competition

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-african-students-win-nasa-space-design-competition
> Updated: 2026-08-31T15:33:00.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 2.

Seven high school students from South Africa’s Western Cape won the International Space Settlement Design Competition at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Representing the first South African entry in the contest, the group joined students from other nations to form the team ‘Rockdonnell’, which was the first in the competition’s history to include members from every inhabited continent.

The winning project, named ‘Hermes’, featured a design for a crewed vessel capable of transporting 3,000 residents and cargo across the inner Solar System. The proposed vessel utilized a rotating structure for artificial gravity, nuclear thermal and ion propulsion, and a magnetic shield for solar radiation protection. Additionally, student Joseph Allderman received the Anita Gale Creative Genius Prize.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-31: Chilean students win NASA trips for high school attendance

Winners of Chile's “Haz que Despeguen” contest, selected for high preschool attendance, will travel to NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Disney parks in January 2027.

12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/chilean-students-win-trips-to-nasa-for-high-school-attendance

### 2026-08-11: South African learners win NASA space design competition

Seven South African high school learners won the International Space Settlement Design Competition at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with their futuristic spacecraft design, ‘Hermes’.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-african-learners-win-nasa-space-design-competition

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Cite as: South African students win NASA space design competition. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-african-students-win-nasa-space-design-competition