Deftly combining technological innovation, outer space, and popular science, a group of young Peruvians took first place in the Best Mission Concept Award category at the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2023, the world's largest hackathon, for their Space Odyssey project. Rocío Lizárraga, a graduate of the UP Business Engineering degree program, was part of the winning ASTROGENESIS team.

Space Odyssey is an interactive platform that combines space travel planning with an immersive education in the universe, allowing users to explore the cosmos from their armchairs while creating custom itineraries to visit planets, moons, and other celestial destinations. This exciting project not only lets space enthusiasts plan and enjoy virtual stellar adventures but also fuels their curiosity and expands their knowledge of the universe through an in-depth educational experience—from geology to the sounds of the cosmos—at every step.

The path to victory

Winning this award was no mean feat for the team, who had to show determination and application to overcome a series of tough challenges. From the outset, ASTROGENESIS shone as Local Winners in Lima, fending off more than 1,700 entrants and 150 teams. Yet their achievement is all the more impressive when one considers the provincial-level events, in which they competed with 2,200 with entrants across 334 teams.

“The experience has been an emotional rollercoaster. Since it is the biggest hackathon in the world and we had to get through several local and international rounds, the quality and standard required of our project had to be first class. That goes for the presentation, the development, the design, and the scientific rigor," said Rocío.

Once the local stage was over, ASTROGENESIS underwent a rigorous global selection process and was chosen as Global Nominee alongside another 587 outstanding teams. The competition stiffened further when Rocío and her teammates were named among just 40 Global Finalists. In the end, ASTROGENESIS stood out among some 58,000 entrants across 5,500 international teams to receive the Best Mission Concept Award—the only Spanish-speaking team to achieve such a distinction.

Rocío explained that the education she received at the Universidad del Pacífico—both the general academic curriculum and her non-academic training experiences—was central to her preparation for this huge challenge. "Being a business engineer at the UP helped me address and strengthen my STEM side. During the degree program, I applied myself to algorithms, IoT sensors, and papers, through which I was able to prepare for the rhythm that the team required when it came to building the methodology, testing the scope of the prototype, and compiling the content with open data from NASA. I will always be grateful to my faculty," she recalled with fondness.

What comes next?

Winning the contest has opened up a number of significant opportunities for the team. For one thing, they have been invited to visit the NASA facilities in Washington DC for an award ceremony, during which they will witness the unique spectacle of a spacecraft launch.

For another, the quality and relevance of their work has won plaudits from the global space industry, offering doors to connections with international experts as well as potential future collaborations and joint projects with NASA and other leading space exploration organizations and companies. Finally, the victory should inspire other young Latinos to pursue their dreams in the field of science and technology, demonstrating that there are no limits to what they can achieve when they pursue their passions with dedication and determination.