Douala is preparing to host a new edition of the world's largest space hackathon
The This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. announces its participation in the co-organization of the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2026 in Douala, an initiative that strengthens Cameroon's presence in one of the world's most important meetings dedicated to innovation, science, technology and space exploration.
The 14 and 15 November 2026, thousands of participants around the world will meet simultaneously in hundreds of cities to take up challenges offered as part of the NASA Space Apps Challenge. The theme of this edition will be " The Next Frontier ", inviting participants to push the boundaries of their imagination and turn scientific data into concrete solutions for Earth and space.
A global event that transcends borders
Created by NASA, the NASA Space Apps Challenge is now recognized as the world's largest annual hackathon.
Each year, the event brings together developers, engineers, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, artists, communicators and science enthusiasts around a common goal: using science, data and technology to solve real problems.
For the 2026 edition, NASA and its partners are making available to participants scientific and space data from 17 partner space agenciesIt 's okay . These include the European Space Agency (ESA), JAXA in Japan, ISRO in India, the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, and several African space agencies.
The scale of the programme reflects its international reach:
Countries and Territories represented over the history of the programme;
3,400+ local events organized;
487,000+ cumulative enrollments ;
17 space agency partners.
In the previous edition, more than 114 000 participants took part in the challenge through Local Events in the world.
It is within this international community that Douala will once again host its local event.
The participation of the RECA Space Agency in the co-organisation of the event reflects a clear intention: offer Cameroonian talent direct access to an international experience of scientific and technological innovation.
For two days, participants gathered in Douala will work as a team on issues from various fields: Earth observation, climate, agriculture, space exploration, astrophysics, software development, artificial intelligence, data visualization, scientific storytelling and much more.
The principle is simple: start from a real scientific problem, exploit open data and build a solution.
But behind this apparent simplicity lies a particularly demanding experience: understanding a problem, building a team, imagining an approach, developing a prototype, testing your idea and finally presenting your project.
More than just a hackathon
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is not just a programming competition.
One of its main strengths lies in the diversity of profiles it brings together.
A project may require the skills of a developer, but also those of a designer, a data specialist, a scientist, a communicator or someone who can turn a complex idea into an experience accessible to the general public.
This approach is fully in line with the vision of the RECA Space Agency: encourage collaboration between different disciplines in order to bring out new scientific and technological solutions.
NASA presents Space Apps as a gateway to its science and data, with the ambition of preparing the next generation of explorers and fostering global scientific collaboration.
One of the fundamental elements of the NASA Space Apps Challenge is the use of open data.
Participants are therefore not working only on theoretical concepts. They have real science resources from NASA and its partner space agencies.
This data can, for example, help us to better understand climate change, to observe changes in our environment, to study certain natural phenomena or to imagine new digital tools.
This philosophy also opens up important prospects for Africa.
Earth observation and space technologies can help address issues directly related to the continent: agriculture, natural resource management, urbanisation, climate change, natural disasters, transport and sustainable development.
The Space Apps Challenge thus makes it possible to bring the data produced from space and the problems encountered in the field.
In RECA Space Agency, this joint organization is part of the continuity of its commitment to the popularization of science, technological innovation and the development of space culture in Cameroon.
For several years, RSA has been working to bring young people, students, technology enthusiasts and scientific communities closer to the opportunities offered by the space sector.
Participation in the NASA Space Apps Challenge is thus a new opportunity to build bridges between Cameroon, Africa and the international space community.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is open to participants of all skill levels and many fields. You don't have to be a space engineer or a NASA specialist to participate.
Programming, data science, artificial intelligence, design, science, communication, entrepreneurship and creativity can all find their place within a team.
NASA also specifies that all ages, skill levels and professional backgrounds are welcome.
For young Cameroonians, the event thus represents an opportunity to:
→ develop their skills;
→ working on real scientific problems;
→ meet other enthusiasts and professionals;
→ building prototypes;
→ promote their skills internationally;
→ become part of a global community of innovators.
What will happen in Douala on 14 and 15 November will not be an isolated event.
At the same time, teams located in different parts of the world will also be working on the challenges proposed by NASA.
Projects developed locally may be submitted for the international competition. After the hackathon, projects are evaluated by experts and some may be selected for the Global awards nASA Space Apps Challenge.
Thus, a team gathered in a room in Douala can find itself competing with teams from other continents, around the same objective: turning an idea into a solution.
The appointment is set at 14 and 15 November 2026.
Two days.
These are real challenges.
Scientific data.
They're multidisciplinary teams.
Ideas from Douala.
And a global community looking in the same direction:
The Next Frontier.
RECA Space Agency
Building Africa's future in space, science and technology.
About the NASA Space Apps Challenge
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is an international hackathon organized around open data from NASA and its partner space agencies. The event aims to mobilize a global community to develop solutions to real problems on Earth and in space. The 2026 edition will take place on 14 and 15 November.