About

Overview

The Night Rover Challenge catalyzes bold advances in energy storage technologies.

Prizes and competitions leverage investment dollars on average 5X to 7X. The Night Rover Challenge is the latest in a successful series of competitions from NASA’s Office of Centennial Challenges. Through a $1.5 Million technical competition, industry meetings, and robust education programs, we are creating innovative opportunities to drive energy storage to new heights. Managed by the Cleantech Open, a California 501.c.3 organization, in collaboration with YouNoodle Inc., our programs pull upon some of the leading experts in the fields of energy storage and entrepreneurial development.

The Night Rover Challenge includes three programs under one umbrella:

1. The Technical Competition
   NASA has provided $1.5 Million in prize money to support the entrepreneurs who can demonstrate an energy storage system that would allow a lunar rover to operate continuously throughout the entire lunar cycle, including 14 days of sheer darkness.
2. Competition Summit
   In October 2012, we hosted the Challenge America Summit to gather innovation leaders together and explore competition-based innovation. We are expanding upon this Summit to create an institution studying the models and methodologies behind competitions. 
3. Educational Programs
   The Night Rover Challenge has a robust set of educational opportunities. Our partnership with the Lemelson Foundation has allowed us to launch the Invention Experience and Youth Ambassadors programs. We are engaging under-served youth in culturally-relevant experiences to motivate them about their own education.

We are a primarily volunteer division of the Cleantech Open, serving to bring these programs together for the benefit of the industry and its future leaders. You can learn more about our management, advisors, and partners through the links to the left.

Support the Night Rover Challenge and our STEM education programs by donating:

Learn more about us by visiting these websites: