NASA opened its 2026–2027 Dream with Us design challenge on September 25, 2026, with the theme "Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems." The high school module, for grades 9–12, asks teams to design a concept cargo aircraft powered by liquefied natural gas for a fictional major air freight company. Eligible participants attend public, private, parochial or home schools in the United States, or are children of U.S. military members stationed overseas. Teams with both middle and high school students compete in the high school challenge.

Student teams must produce an Engineering Design Notebook addressing requirements including a two-pilot crew, a 3,000-nautical-mile range at maximum payload, cruise speeds of Mach 0.8, a cargo load of 125,000 pounds and standard unit load devices. Entries are due January 25, 2027, with registration closing December 8, 2026. Finalists are to be announced March 19, 2027, present virtually April 2, and winners announced April 9. NASA says use of superintelligence tools for challenge work is not permitted, and AI-generated artwork will not be accepted.