A student engineering team from the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Intec) has cemented its status as a global standout in aerospace innovation, claiming three additional awards at the 2026 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge and pushing its cumulative haul of recognitions in the prestigious event to 15.
The annual NASA competition, which invites collegiate and high school teams from around the world to design, build, and test human-powered rovers capable of navigating harsh, extraterrestrial-like terrain, serves as a launching pad for the next generation of space exploration engineers. For Apollo 27, this year’s results extend a remarkable streak of success that has already made the Dominican team one of the most decorated in the event’s history.
Among the 2026 honors, the team secured the Team Spirit Award for the fourth consecutive year, a testament to its consistent commitment to collaboration, sportsmanship, and community among participating groups. The two additional prizes—the Industry STEM Engagement Award and the Social Media Award—extend recognition beyond pure engineering performance, highlighting Apollo 27’s far-reaching work to inspire public interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across the Dominican Republic and beyond.
In a new milestone for the program, the team also unveiled a cutting-edge lightweight rover that tipped the scales at only 126 pounds. The design breaks Apollo 27’s own previous record for the lightest functional rover the team has built, underscoring the group’s relentless focus on efficiency and innovative engineering. The achievement puts the advanced technical skills of young Dominican STEM talent on full display to a global audience of space industry leaders and engineering peers.