Seven South African high school students have made history by winning the International Space Settlement Design Competition at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Team ZA became the first African team ever to reach the finals in the competition’s history, competing against teams from the UK, Australia, Brazil, China, and the United States.
The students designed a crewed vessel called “Hermes” capable of transporting 3,000 residents across the inner Solar System. Their design featured rotating artificial gravity, nuclear thermal and ion propulsion, and a magnetic shield against solar radiation.
Team member Joseph Allderman also received the Anita Gale Creative Genius Prize, one of only four awarded across the entire competition. This is a massive win for African excellence in STEM.