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NASA Announces Winners in University Aeronautics Competition - NASA
science.nasa.gov
NASA announced the winners of its fifth annual Gateways to Blue Skies Forum. The event took place on May 18 and 19 at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This forum brought together student teams, industry experts, and NASA officials to celebrate innovation in aviation. The primary goal of the competition was to encourage new ideas that could improve the future of flight.
Team WINGMAN from South Dakota State University took first place. The team members, who are postsecondary students, developed a system to help aircraft mechanics work more safely and efficiently. Steven Holz, a NASA sponsor and chair of the judging panel, presented the award. He highlighted the importance of such student-led projects in addressing real-world challenges in the aviation industry.
The 2026 competition, titled RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, focused on a vital part of U.S. aviation. The challenge asked teams to solve a critical element of aircraft care: maintenance. As commercial planes fly more often and stay in service longer, keeping them safe and operational becomes increasingly difficult. There is also a growing shortage of qualified maintenance workers across the country.
NASA’s University Innovation project, part of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, sponsored the event. The program aims to foster innovative research and strengthen the future aviation workforce. By engaging students in these complex problems, NASA hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers and technicians. The competition sought solutions that could transform how airlines maintain their fleets by the year 2035.
Steven Holz, the associate project manager for NASA’s University Innovation Project, explained the significance of the finalists’ work. He noted that the proposals offered novel ways to equip companies and their workers with new technologies. These technologies would help keep the nation’s planes airworthy. This is especially important at a time when flight safety is under closer public scrutiny. Additionally, workforce shortages create both challenges and opportunities for the industry.