Academic Challenge Papers

The International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC), in conjunction with the National Space Society (NSS), has sponsored annual Academic Challenge contests on various aspects of space elevators.

Below are the papers, abstracts, and videos from these challenges.

2026

• 1st Place: Enabled Infrastructure for Persistent Planetary Defense, by Muhir Kapoor [paper] [video]

• 2nd Place: AI-Driven Earth Guard Interception Shield, by Yunosuke Kudo, Masaho Yanaka, and Akinari Ogawa [paper] [video]

• 3rd Place: Apex Sentinel Array, by Ashwin Vijayashankar [paper] [video]

• Honorable Mention: AI Integrate Space Elevator Planetary Defense System, by Leo Shiina and Maiya Qiu [paper] [video]

• Honorable Mention: Asteroid Interception System, by Martina Zagonel and Liceo Bonavantura [paper] [video]

• AEGIS: The Revolutionary AI Shield in Planetary Defense, by Elaine Wen, Linden James, and Abbey Zhao [paper]

• Project Argus, by Saadhika Prakash, Shruty Joshi, saran Kaba, and Amaan Desai [paper]

2025

• [High School 1st Prize] Space Elevator Apex Anchor Station [paper] [video]

• [High School 2nd Prize] APEX Settlement [paper] [video]

• [High School 3rd Prize] Maglev Space Elevator [paper] [video]

• [University 1st Prize] Team Celestial [paper] [video]

• [University 2nd Prize] Presenting Nexus [paper] [video]

• [University 3rd Prize] Space Habitat at L5-Point [paper] [video]

2024

• [High School 1st Prize] Project Demeter [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [High School 2nd Prize] Mars Delivery Service [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [High School 3rd Prize] Thermal Electricity Storage System with Solar Panels [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [High School] Solar System Economy Scenario [abstract] [paper]

• [High School] Space Elevator Delivery System [abstract] [paper]

• [University 1st Prize] Space Policy Mission Green Orbit [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [University 2nd Prize] AI Enhanced Operations and Maintenance [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [University 2nd Prize] Harvesting the Cosmos Sky Farms and GRTS [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [University] Identifying Major Strengths of the GRTS [abstract] [paper]

2023

• [1st Prize] Applications of GEO Stations and Microgravity [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [2nd Prize] High Level Nuclear Waste Disposal System [abstract] [paper] [video]

• [3rd Prize] High DOF Orbital Development of CubeSats [abstract] [paper] [video]

• AC23 Automatic Mineral Processing and Metal Production [abstract] [paper]

• Biocapsule [abstract] [paper]

• Impactor [abstract] [paper]

• Ringworld [abstract] [paper]

• Rotational Acceleration Variation and Neutralization Belt [abstract] [paper]

• Space Elevator A Scientific Application [abstract] [paper]

• TaVohn's Space Elevator [abstract] [paper]

• The Ark [abstract] [paper]