Students from NIS took the top two spots at the international NASA competition

Students from the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physical and Mathematical Direction in Almaty took first and second place at the international Space Settlement Contest 2025, organized by NASA and the National Space Society.

This year, more than 26,000 schoolchildren from 25 countries participated. Teams from Kazakhstan were recognized as the best for their engineering precision and fantastically bold projects for future stations orbiting Jupiter and its moon Ganymede.

The first-place project, YURT, is an autonomous station designed to accommodate 20,000–30,000 residents. It features artificial gravity, ecosystems, cargo ships, and agricultural sectors. The project was developed by Anastasia Tsoi, Yulia Kim, Kamila Yertyskyzy, and Ilyas Dauleti.

The second-place project, "Icarus," is designed for a population of 45,000 people and utilizes wind turbines, bioreactors, and aeroponic technologies for life support. Ten schoolchildren contributed to its development, with 12th-grade student Adil Sandykbayev serving as the mentor.

The Space Settlement Contest was founded by American physicist Gerard O'Neill and annually brings together schoolchildren passionate about space. Participants create projects for future stations, combining physics, biology, architecture, and technology.

Source: nis.edu.kz