Last updated: October 2026
NASA L'SPACE is a free, online, 15-week academy run by Arizona State University for US college students who want a NASA career, with two tracks: the Mission Concept Academy and the Proposal Writing academy (NPWEE). Spring 2027 applications haven't opened yet. Based on last year's November 30 spring deadline, expect them to open late October to November 2026 and close around late November, so check the site weekly from now.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | lspace.asu.edu, which links to the application portal when a window is open |
| Spring 2027 applications | Not announced yet; expected to open late October to November 2026 and close around late November, based on the November 30, 2025 spring deadline |
| Tracks | Mission Concept Academy (MCA) and NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience (NPWEE); one academy per semester |
| Who can apply | MCA: undergrads at a US college. NPWEE: undergrads, grad students, and early-career professionals with 5 years or less |
| Citizenship | The L'SPACE site says US citizens or permanent residents; NASA EXPRESS describes it as for US citizens |
| Format | Free and virtual, 15 weeks. MCA meets Tuesdays 4 to 6 p.m. PT; NPWEE meets Thursdays 4 to 6 p.m. PT |
| Time commitment | MCA 10 to 20 hours a week beyond live sessions; NPWEE 6 to 10 hours a week |
| Pay | Not paid, and free to join. One NPWEE team a semester wins a $10,000 prize to fund its project |
The key detail most applicants miss: the live Zoom session is only part of it. MCA expects 10 to 20 extra hours a week and NPWEE 6 to 10, and attendance at the weekly session is mandatory.
L'SPACE is team project work, so it helps to arrive already comfortable building something technical and writing it up. A remote Externship like the Wayfair n8n AI Agent Engineering Externship gives you that practice on your own schedule while you wait for spring 2027 applications.
What Is the NASA L'SPACE Academy?
L'SPACE stands for the Lucy Student Pipeline Accelerator and Competency Enabler, a program tied to NASA's Lucy mission and run by Arizona State University. It's a free, online, interactive experience for students interested in a career within NASA. In the Mission Concept Academy, you join an interdisciplinary team and develop a preliminary NASA mission concept following the NASA mission life cycle, with training from NASA and industry scientists and engineers and hands-on use of Siemens NX (CAD) and JMARS (remote sensing analysis). In NPWEE, you identify NASA needs, write a proposal to a specific solicitation, then act as a peer proposal reviewer.
Who Can Apply to NASA L'SPACE?
The L'SPACE site sets these requirements:
• Age: at least 18 when you apply
• Enrollment (MCA): enrolled in an undergraduate program at a US college or university. Dual-enrollment high school students aren't accepted
• Enrollment (NPWEE): an undergraduate or graduate program, or an early-career professional with 5 years or less of experience
• Citizenship: US citizen or permanent resident, per the L'SPACE site
• Equipment: a computer with internet, a webcam and a microphone
• Location: NPWEE requires you to be in the US during the program
• Limit: one academy per semester
Sources disagree on two details. NASA EXPRESS describes L'SPACE as for US citizens, and NASA's own L'SPACE page still calls the academies 12 weeks while ASU's site says 15. Go by the L'SPACE site and confirm there before you apply.
When Do NASA L'SPACE Applications Open for Spring 2027?
Spring 2027 dates are projected, not published. The L'SPACE homepage on October 16, 2026 shows only that fall 2026 applications are closed. Last spring's cycle closed November 30, 2025 (from an L'SPACE social post), so applications for spring 2027 are expected to open late October to November 2026 and close around late November 2026. The fall 2026 academies run September 8 to December 8 (MCA) and September 10 to December 10 (NPWEE).
Fall 2026 applications are closed and the fall academies are running. Pick MCA or NPWEE now, and check that your weekly schedule can absorb the extra hours.
Applications for spring 2027 are expected to open, based on last year's spring cycle. Watch lspace.asu.edu for the portal link.
Expected spring 2027 deadline, based on last year's November 30, 2025 deadline. The window may be only a few weeks long.
The spring 2027 academies are expected to start and run for 15 weeks. Exact dates aren't announced.
Expected deadline for fall 2027, based on last year's August 2, 2026 fall deadline.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and the employer's own postings. Treat future dates as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The program's official page is always the most current source. If it's posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
How Do You Apply to NASA L'SPACE?
L'SPACE runs one short online application per academy:
1. Go to lspace.asu.edu and open the page for the academy you want. When a window is open, it links to the application portal.
2. Choose one academy for the semester: MCA for mission design, or NPWEE for proposal writing and review. NPWEE has a separate application for early-career professionals.
3. Confirm you can attend every live session (Tuesdays for MCA, Thursdays for NPWEE, 4 to 6 p.m. PT) and handle the extra weekly hours.
4. Submit before the deadline. No assessment or interview step is published.
If you miss spring 2027, the next window is expected for fall 2027, around early August.
Does NASA L'SPACE Lead to a NASA Internship or Job?
Not directly. L'SPACE doesn't promise an internship or a job. What it does publish is a list of employers where alumni have been hired, including NASA, JPL, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin, plus follow-on options such as the Lucy Mission Internship and the LEAP leadership internship. Treat it as a way to get NASA mission-life-cycle experience on your resume before you apply to paid NASA internships. Our NASA internship guide covers those.
How Do You Get the Most Out of NASA L'SPACE?
There's no published selection process, so the work is mostly about getting value once you're in: pulling your weight on a team, handling technical tools, and writing clearly for a review panel. Here's how to build each one.
| What to show | Why it matters here | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Building a technical system from a brief | MCA teams take a mission concept from idea to design review | Wayfair n8n AI Agent Engineering |
| Analyzing data and explaining it | MCA uses JMARS for remote sensing analysis; the data domain differs, but the analysis habits carry over | ARCeH Health Outcomes Data Analytics |
| Judging proposals against criteria | NPWEE has you act as a peer reviewer; startup screening is a different field with the same scoring habit | Mangusta Capital Deal Sourcing & Startup Analysis |
Block the weekly session and your extra hours in your calendar before you apply. Attendance is mandatory, and the teams depend on everyone showing up.
What Similar Programs Should You Consider?
If you're looking at L'SPACE, these are worth a look too:
- NASAour guide to NASA's paid internships, including OSTEM and PathwaysGuide →
- SpaceXpaid engineering internships at a commercial launch companyGuide →
- Blue Originaerospace internships in commercial spaceflightGuide →
- Lockheed Martinengineering internships at a major NASA contractorGuide →
- Sierra Spaceinternships at a commercial space station and spaceplane companyGuide →
L'SPACE pairs well with NASA's paid OSTEM internships, which you apply to separately through STEM Gateway. Our NASA internship guide lays out the deadlines. For the wider field, see our government internships guide.
FAQ
When do NASA L'SPACE applications open for spring 2027?
They haven't been announced yet. Based on last spring's November 30, 2025 deadline, applications for spring 2027 are expected to open late October to November 2026 and close around late November. The L'SPACE homepage currently shows only that fall 2026 applications are closed, so check lspace.asu.edu weekly.
Is NASA L'SPACE paid?
No. L'SPACE is free to join and doesn't pay participants. In NPWEE, teams compete for a single $10,000 team prize each semester to help fund their project. If you need a paid NASA role, look at OSTEM internships or the Pathways program instead.
Who is eligible for NASA L'SPACE?
You need to be at least 18 and enrolled at a US college or university. MCA is for undergraduates; NPWEE also takes grad students and early-career professionals with 5 years or less. The L'SPACE site lists US citizens or permanent residents, though NASA EXPRESS says US citizens, so confirm on the site.
How much time does L'SPACE take each week?
More than the two-hour live session. MCA asks for 10 to 20 extra hours a week, and NPWEE asks for 6 to 10. Live Zoom sessions run Tuesdays (MCA) or Thursdays (NPWEE), 4 to 6 p.m. PT, and attendance is mandatory for the full 15 weeks.
What's the difference between MCA and NPWEE?
MCA is mission design: your team builds a preliminary NASA mission concept and uses tools like Siemens NX and JMARS. NPWEE is proposal work: you identify NASA needs, write a proposal to a specific solicitation and review others' proposals. You can take one academy per semester.
Can high school students join L'SPACE?
No. MCA requires enrollment in an undergraduate program at a US college or university, and dual-enrollment high school students aren't accepted. You also need to be at least 18 when you apply. NPWEE is for undergrads, grad students and early-career professionals.
Does L'SPACE lead to a NASA internship or job?
Not directly. The program doesn't promise placement. It lists employers where alumni have been hired, including NASA, JPL, SpaceX and Blue Origin, and offers follow-on options like the Lucy Mission Internship and LEAP leadership internship. NASA's paid internships are separate applications.
The spring 2027 window is expected to be short, so pick your academy now and keep an eye on the site. If you want hands-on project work before it starts, a remote Externship fits around your classes.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
