Sneak Peek: "Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge" -- Hosted by HeroX to Design and Test Durable Lunar Rover Wheels

Pre-Launch Opportunity to Brainstorm, Build Teams, and Spread the Word About Flexible, Lightweight, Durable Wheels and Tires for the NASA MicroChariot Rover

HOUSTON, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- HeroX, the leading platform and open marketplace for crowdsourced solutions, today announced the pre-launch of the "Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge." The challenge will invite the global innovation community to use NASA's small, semi-autonomous MicroChariot Rover as a testbed for designing and testing novel flexible, lightweight, and durable wheel and tire concepts.

Before the official launch, HeroX is offering an exclusive sneak peek to help innovators start brainstorming, build teams, and share the news far and wide.

NASA is returning to the Moon through the campaign, with the goal of enabling sustainable surface operations. A key piece of this vision could be next-generation wheel and tire technology that can withstand the harsh lunar environment while carrying payloads across rugged terrain.

Rigid wheels can work for slow, careful driving, but higher-speed mobility requires wheels that can absorb shocks and impacts while remaining lightweight and long-lasting. NASA is looking for groundbreaking wheel concepts that balance low mass, high compliance (shock absorption), and extended service life on the Moon. The concept should treat MicroChariot as a proving ground. Submissions will demonstrate how the same compliance mechanism, materials, and manufacturing approach could grow (or shrink) without re-tooling.

Winning teams will push the entire lunar mobility ecosystem forward, helping to pave the way for future lunar missions, and may have their designs tested by NASA.

The Challenge: The Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge invites participants to create an original wheel and tire design that meets NASA's performance goals, explain the science behind it, and–if selected–build and demonstrate it. The full challenge will officially launch this fall and will award up to $150,000 in prizes across all phases combined.

Challenge Timeline:

• Phase 1 – Ideation & Design (Fall 2025)
• Phase 2 – Prototyping (Winter–Spring 2026)
• Phase 3 – Demonstration (Summer 2026)

*Full technical requirements, prize amounts, intellectual property guidelines, and judging criteria will be detailed in the official challenge rules at launch. Until then, details are subject to change.

To learn more about the challenge and preregister, visit: www.herox.com/NASARockandRoll

ABOUT HEROX

HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation and human ingenuity, co-founded in 2013 by serial entrepreneur, Christian Cotichini and XPRIZE Founder and Futurist, Peter Diamandis. HeroX offers a turnkey, easy-to-use platform that supports anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd. Uniquely positioned as the Social Network for Innovation, HeroX is the only place you can build, grow and curate your very own crowd.

Explore the latest challenges at www.herox.com.

Media Contact:
Alexandra Pony
398750@email4pr.com
250.858.0656

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sneak-peek-rock-and-roll-with-nasa-challenge--hosted-by-herox-to-design-and-test-durable-lunar-rover-wheels-302515551.html

SOURCE HeroX