About this competition
Zero Robotics is a programming competition where the final round runs in orbit. Students write control algorithms for free-flying robotic satellites, compete through simulation rounds against other teams, and the finalists watch an astronaut run their code on actual hardware aboard the International Space Station.
Run out of MIT, the competition has separate middle-school and high-school tracks. The middle-school track runs as a summer program through partner sites; the high-school track runs as an open online tournament in the fall. Entry is free and the programming environment runs in a browser, so a team needs a mentor and time rather than a budget.
For a student who likes coding but has not connected it to space, this is the most direct bridge available anywhere. The physics is real — you are managing fuel, momentum, and collision avoidance in microgravity — but the tooling is approachable.
Season & deadlines
High-school tournament registration opens in late summer for a fall season; the middle-school program runs over the summer.
Season window: June through January.
Cost
Free — Free to participate. The simulation environment runs in a web browser — no hardware or software purchase required.
Prizes & outcomes
Finalist teams have their code run aboard the ISS during a live-streamed final