NASA's 2027 Gateways to Blue Skies competition invites collegiate teams to propose ways aircraft could inspect land-based infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels, aiming to improve safety, reliability and costs by 2035 or sooner, NASA said in an Aug. 18, 2026, report. The agency cited challenges including structures that are massive, hard to reach, or require disruptive shutdowns, as well as extreme heights, confined spaces and hazardous environments for workers.

The contest, sponsored by NASA's University Innovation Project, is open to teams of two to six students. In Phase 1, teams submit a proposal and a two-minute video judged by NASA and industry experts. Up to eight finalist teams would each receive a $9,000 prize and advance to Phase 2, presenting updated work at a forum planned for May 2027, with winners offered a NASA Aeronautics internship in the following academic year. Teams were encouraged to submit a non-binding Notice of Intent by Monday, Oct. 12, with proposals and videos due Feb. 22, 2027.

"The demands for creative solutions like airborne platforms to improve the infrastructure sector are increasing exponentially," said Steven Holz, the competition's lead at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The National Institute of Aerospace administers the challenge for NASA.