The Apolo 27 team from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Intec) achieved a significant milestone at the 2026 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC), held at the Aviation Challenge facility in Huntsville, Alabama. On 11 April 2026, the team secured awards, bringing their total historical medal count to 15 awards over seven consecutive years of participation since 2019.
2026 Award Summary
The team’s performance in 2026 was defined by both technical efficiency and community leadership. They competed in the College Human-Powered category, navigating an 800-meter lunar-simulated obstacle course.
The DR won the Team Spirit Award for collaboration and attitude for its third consecutive year (2024, 2025, 2026). Likewise, the Dominican students won the award for Industry STEM Engagement for education outreach, recognition for promoting STEM careers in the DR. Furthermore, the DR won the Social Media Award for digital communication, for excellence in documenting and sharing the engineering journey.
Technical advancements
A standout feature of the 2026 participation was the radical weight reduction of their rover.
• Structural efficiency: The 2026 rover weighed just 126 pounds, a 26% reduction from the 170-pound vehicle used in 2025.
• Performance metrics: The evaluation was based on technical reviews (40%), track performance (40%), mission readiness (10%), and scientific tasks such as soil and air sampling (10%).
Historical context and growth
The 2026 success follows a record-breaking 2025 when the team won six awards in a single year, including first place in the Remote-Controlled (RC) category.
• 2020: Won the System Safety Award for the best safety design.
• 2023: Received the Most Improved Award.
• 2024-2025: Secured 2nd Place Overall in the Human-Powered category globally.
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In recognition of their sustained excellence, the team was honored with the National Youth Award (Premio Nacional de la Juventud) by President Luis Abinader at the National Theater in 2025.
Read more:
Rocket City Now (WHNT News 19)
14 April 2026