Manama: The Bahrain Space Agency (BSA) announced the opening of registration for programmers, scientists, designers, storytellers, technicians, entrepreneurs, artists, space enthusiasts, and students of all ages and nationalities to take part in the eighth edition of the International Space Apps Challenge Hackathon.
According to Bahrain News Agency, this annual international competition is organised by the BSA under the supervision of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in cooperation with the Bahrain Society of Engineers. It will take place at the University of Bahrain campus in Sakhir and the Bahrain Polytechnic campus in Isa Town, from October 4-5. Those wishing to register may do so by visiting the official website for either Isa Town or Sakhir.
The BSA highlighted that the Hackathon is open to participants worldwide, who will form creative teams and use NASA's open data to compete in developing solutions to challenges facing the space industry. Competing teams must complete their projects within 48 hours, with the aim of encouraging participants to devise innovative ideas to present space data in the form of applications, games, or other technological solutions.
Participants will compete for six prizes based on their performance in data usage, technology application, and local impact. These prizes are offered by the BSA in cooperation with NASA. Additionally, there are 10 further prizes provided by NASA for which participants will also be eligible.
The BSA emphasised that these two events form part of a wider series of awareness activities it is implementing in partnership with local institutions. The goal is to foster a culture of innovation and promote creativity across society, particularly among youth, and to encourage them to adopt innovative practices in various sectors, notably the space sector.
The Hackathon is held in cities across the world, with more than 15 space agencies participating in this edition, including NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Saudi Space Agency (SSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Brazilian Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), among others. The previous edition recorded the participation of over 93,250 people across more than 163 countries worldwide.