Maryland Students Placed Third in NASA Design Challenge
Team Galaxy earned national recognition for a drone system designed to protect soybean crops.
Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Space
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Team Galaxy secured third place in the 2025-2026 NASA Aeronautics Dream with Us Design Challenge, marking the first time a Maryland team has placed in the competition. The group developed a specialized drone to assist in the protection of soybean crops.
Why it matters
Traditional overhead scouting methods often fail to detect insect pests beneath soybean canopies, leading to potential crop loss. This new drone technology offers a precise solution for identifying damage, which could save Maryland farmers millions of dollars.
The team utilized a Vertical Take-off and Landing uncrewed aircraft system capable of navigating 15- to 30-inch canopy geometry. The drone features an RGB-D sensor and a robotic arm to perform targeted sample collection.
The players
Team Galaxy
This student group consists of public high school students from across Maryland who collaborated on aerospace design.
NASA
The United States government agency is responsible for the civilian space program, aeronautics research, and space exploration.
University of Maryland Extension
This organization provides research-based educational programs and expert guidance to help citizens and farmers.
The details
The TG-1 system is engineered to navigate under dense plant canopies to address pests that overhead drones miss. Projections indicate the design could reduce field sampling time by 80% and decrease chemical usage by up to 60%.
Timeline
The 2025-2026 NASA Aeronautics Dream with Us Design Challenge hosted the competition.
Maryland farmers planted 495,000 acres of soybeans throughout 2025.
The Big Picture
The achievement follows the NASA Aeronautics Dream with Us Design Challenge, which highlights student-led aerospace innovations that address real-world agricultural challenges.
The implementation of the TG-1 drone could provide Maryland farmers with a significant reduction in labor and chemical costs. If commercialized, these drones may become standard tools for managing the state's nearly $200 million annual soybean crop.
The takeaway
This project demonstrates the potential for student-led engineering to solve practical problems in large-scale agriculture. By focusing on targeted canopy inspection, the team highlights how small-scale robotics can significantly improve farm efficiency.
Further reading
For more on local aerospace innovations, visit the Space section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Bay Net.
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