Barcelona is hosting what organisers call the largest science hackathon in the universe this weekend. The NASA International Space Apps Challenge returns to the city for its third year, bringing together young people from all backgrounds to solve real-world space challenges over two intensive days.
The event takes place at Campus 42 Barcelona, backed by Fundación Telefónica, Barcelona City Council, and the Generalitat. Teams will work on everything from using AI to discover new exoplanets to designing recycling systems for future Mars missions. Right now, more than 6,000 people worldwide have signed up for this year’s edition.
What makes this hackathon different is that coding skills alone won’t win. The organisers say success comes from combining science, creativity, and storytelling. Meanwhile, teams might work on tracking sharks from space or creating tools to monitor plant flowering and agricultural cycles using satellite images.
The challenge runs simultaneously in over 150 cities globally, including Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Zaragoza, Pamplona, and Bilbao in Spain. However, Barcelona’s event stands out as a major talent-spotting opportunity, with tech companies and research centres attending to discover promising projects and recruit brilliant minds.
Spanish teams from previous Barcelona editions have made it to the global finals and presented their work directly to NASA. The real advantage, participants say, is getting hands-on with international innovation projects and showcasing their abilities to companies actively looking for new talent.
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