Upon successful completion of Payload Build Round 1, winners move on to Payload Build Round 2 and have the opportunity to compete for an additional award of $100,000 each and a flight test at no additional cost.
Winners participate in regular conference calls to present their progress on their plans for payload development. Field judges will conduct a site visit in April 2026 to score the progress each winner has made (timeline subject to change and final due dates will be shared with winners prior to the start of Payload Build Round 1).
Scoring criteria for Payload Build Round 2 is described below. Winners must receive at least 80 points to receive the $100,000 award for this round and to be awarded a flight test. Learn more about our contracted flight providers.
After the flight test, winners will submit a final report to discuss results, lessons learned, and future plans for the technology.
