Zero Robotics is an international robotics programming competition hosted by MIT, open to high school students from the United States and European Space Agency member nations. Teams of 5 to 20 students write autonomous code to control SPHERES satellites, competing through virtual simulation rounds before the top teams advance to a live final aboard the International Space Station. The competition runs from September through December each year and is completely free to enter, making it one of the most accessible and extraordinary opportunities available to student programmers. For any high schooler passionate about coding, aerospace, or engineering, Zero Robotics offers a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime chance to see their work tested in space.
Writing code to build software, automate tasks, or bring an idea to life on a screen.
Designing and building physical machines that sense, move, or respond to the world.
Breaking down a challenge and working through it methodically to a solution.
Setting long-term goals and mapping out the steps to reach them.
Guiding a group toward a shared goal and keeping everyone moving together.
Students write autonomous code to control satellite behavior and solve programming challenges in real-time competition.
Direct experience programming real satellites (SPHERES) to navigate obstacles and complete complex autonomous tasks.
Compete using actual ISS satellites, applying principles of satellite control, microgravity physics, and space mission operations.
Students manage resource constraints like fuel and power while coordinating complex autonomous system behavior.
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