For the 12th consecutive year, the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), in collaboration with BASIS Students’ Forum and with American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) as the title sponsor, has organized the Bangladesh round of the NASA International Space Apps Challenge 2025.

For the first time, the hackathon has begun virtually from Friday morning and will continue nonstop for 36 hours. The results will be announced on Saturday at 6:00 PM.

Over the past 11 years, Bangladesh has earned the honor of becoming a global champion four times in this prestigious competition, including three consecutive wins.

The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is an initiative of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that brings together talented young people from across 185 countries, including technologists, scientists, designers, artists, educators, and entrepreneurs.

The aim is to develop innovative solutions to address global challenges. As part of this global movement, BASIS is hosting the Bangladesh segment across nine cities: Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Cumilla.

This year, the initiative aims to engage 10 million students on social media while directly involving 200,000 students in the competition.

In Bangladesh alone, more than 3,000 participants are taking part in the two-day online hackathon on October 3 and 4, presenting over 400 innovative projects. Each of the nine host cities has a designated local lead to guide participants throughout the process.

Notably, in 2018, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology’s “Team Olik” became world champions in the “Best Use of Data” category for their Lunar VR Project, a virtual application to experience space travel on the moon.

In 2021, “Team Mohakash,” a joint team from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) and Bangladesh Army University of Engineering and Technology (BAUET), became global champions in the “Best Mission Concept” category.

In 2022, “Team Diamonds” won in the “Most Inspirational” category, while in 2023, Bangladesh’s “Team Voyagers” earned the global championship in the “Best Storytelling” category.

This year, the title sponsor of the hackathon is American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB).