Refer & Earn. Help NASA Explore the Moon.
Share your link and earn rewards when friends join through you.
Refer & Earn. Help NASA Explore the Moon.
Share your link and earn rewards when friends join through you.
About
NASA and Topcoder have launched the $55,000 Crater Detection Challenge, calling on data scientists and AI innovators worldwide to detect crater rims from lunar imagery — a critical step toward future terrain-based navigation for Moon missions.
To help reach more brilliant minds across the globe, we’re inviting the Topcoder community to share the challenge and get rewarded.
When someone registers for the challenge using your personalized referral link, you earn cash based on the number of sign-ups you generate.
The referral campaign runs until January 19, 2026 the final day for challenge registration. Start sharing early to maximize your rewards.
Why This Matters
NASA needs diverse, global talent to take on highly technical problems.
Your referrals help bring in:
Data scientists
AI/ML engineers
Computer vision experts
Image processing specialists
Developers & researchers excited about space innovation
You’re not just sharing a link - you’re helping NASA push lunar science forward.
Benefits
Make Money While You Share
Earn $1 for every new registration that comes through your referral link, with no cap on total earnings. You’ll also receive a $20 bonus for each referred participant who submits a solution and scores above 40.
The more people you bring into the challenge, the more you earn. Your friends should not only click the link, but also register to the challenge.Give Your Network an Amazing Opportunity
Your friends can compete for $55,000 in prizes and have a NASA project on their portfolio - that’s career changing.Be Part of NASA’s Future Missions
By bringing in skilled innovators, you’re helping advance terrain-based navigation systems NASA will rely on for lunar exploration.
How It Works
1. Create Your Personalized UTM Link
Your UTM link ensures every referral is attributed to you.
Copy the structure below and replace the placeholders with your details:
https://www.topcoder.com/challenges/e53d30e9-c4b1-40bc-b834-f92483a73223?utm_campaign=NASA_crater&utm_medium=social&utm_source=your_handle
your_handle = your Topcoder username
Example:
https://www.topcoder.com/challenges/e53d30e9-c4b1-40bc-b834-f92483a73223?utm_campaign=NASA_crater&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ghostar
In the above example, handle used is 'ghostar'.
2. Share the Challenge Anywhere
Social media, direct messages, email, WhatsApp, Telegram — wherever your friends and colleagues spend time.
3. Use This Optional Suggested Content
Feel free to customize it:
🚀 The NASA $55,000 Crater Detection Challenge is live!
How do you detect craters on the Moon when shadows and lighting make them almost invisible?
In this new Marathon Match, NASA and Topcoder invite data scientists and AI innovators to build algorithms that detect crater rims from lunar imagery — crucial for future lunar navigation systems.
Your challenge:
✅ Detect crater rims in tough lighting
✅ Fit ellipses to crater boundaries
✅ Help improve NASA’s optical navigation systems
With $55,000 in prizes and special awards for innovation and accuracy, this is your chance to contribute to real NASA research.
Link in comments to join!
4. Put Your UTM Link in the Comments
For maximum visibility (and to avoid reach penalties), post your content without the link - and then comment with:
Check out more details:
https://www.topcoder.com/challenges/e53d30e9-c4b1-40bc-b834-f92483a73223?utm_campaign=NASA_crater&utm_medium=social&utm_source=your_handle
Replace the link above with the custom UTM link you created.
Ready to Get Started?
Create your link → Share → Earn.
And help NASA explore our Moon in the process.
Ready to Get Started?
Create your link → Share → Earn.
And help NASA explore our Moon in the process.