What Is NASA HERC RC Division?
What Is NASA HERC RC Division?
WHAT IS NASA HERC RC DIVISION?
The NASA HERC RC Division refers to the Remote Controlled Division of NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge.
It is a student competition that focuses on designing and building robotic rovers capable of simulating planetary exploration tasks.
Unlike the human powered division, the RC Division uses a remotely driven rover, while specific mission tasks are designed to run with a click of a button.
This makes the division heavily focused on robotics, electronics, and systems engineering, closely aligning with how NASA conducts real robotic missions.
What the RC Division Is Designed to Teach
The RC Division is meant to simulate how robotic explorers operate in environments where humans cannot. Students are expected to think like engineers working on lunar rovers.
Teams must design a rover that performs reliably on a challenging terrain course while collecting and reporting scientific and operational data. The emphasis is not on speed alone but on control, safety, accuracy, and decision making.
This approach mirrors NASA missions where robotic systems must work under strict constraints with no room for improvisation.
RC Rover Size, Power, and Control
According to the NASA HERC handbook, RC rovers must fit inside a cube measuring 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet when they are ready for excursions. The maximum allowed weight is 60 pounds.
The rover is battery powered. Flammable liquids are strictly prohibited. Batteries must be housed inside insulated enclosures, and safety systems such as fuses or circuit breakers are required when conductive chassis components are used.
For motion control, teams must use commercial controllers for the primary drive functions. However, wheels are not allowed to be standard off the shelf parts. They must be custom designed and fabricated by the students, encouraging innovation and problem solving.
During runs, up to two pilots are allowed to follow the rover on foot. These pilots must wear proper personal protective equipment such as gloves and fully enclosed footwear to meet safety requirements.
Sensors and Data Collection
RC rovers are expected to behave like scientific platforms, not just vehicles.
Each rover must carry onboard sensors that collect operational and environmental data. This includes parameters such as velocity, battery voltage levels, temperature, and G forces experienced by the rover during motion.
This data is recorded at least twice per minute during excursions. After the event, teams review this data to analyze rover performance, just as engineers do in real missions. The focus is on understanding how the rover behaves, not just whether it completed the task.
Additionally, the rover must include a crew area with a minimum internal volume of (2 inch X 2 inch X 2 inch). This area is used to simulate life support related data collection, reinforcing mission realism.
Sampling Tasks and Autonomy
Sampling is a major component of the RC Division.
Rovers must collect and analyze samples related to soil moisture, water pH, and carbon dioxide levels. These tasks simulate scientific investigations that future space missions rely on.
For college teams, sampling tasks must be performed autonomously after the rover is positioned at the site. This tests both software logic and system reliability. Middle and high school teams are given the option to perform sampling either manually or autonomously.
This distinction encourages progressive learning while maintaining fairness across experience levels.
Excursions and Time Constraints
Each team is allowed two excursions, with each excursion lasting a maximum of twelve minutes. After the first run, teams are given feedback and review time before attempting the second excursion.
This mirrors real mission operations where data from initial tests is used to refine procedures and improve outcomes.
Speed is limited to five miles per hour using either mechanical or software based limiters. This reinforces safety while ensuring teams prioritize control over aggressive motion.
Terrain and Obstacle Course
The NASA HERC course is designed to replicate planetary terrain in a scaled form.
RC teams face ten different obstacles, which may include features such as ice geyser slaloms, pea gravel sections, and high buttes. Completing these obstacles earns points, with the total obstacle section carrying significant weight in overall scoring.
The course demands stability, traction, suspension efficiency, and precise control. Poor design decisions become immediately visible during these runs.
Documentation, Reviews, and Scoring
Performance on the field is only one part of the RC Division.
Teams must submit detailed documentation, including proposals, design reviews, operational reviews, and safety analyses. Design and operational reviews each contribute twenty percent to the overall score. Mission Readiness Review contributes another ten percent.
These reviews evaluate how well teams understand their own systems, identify risks, test solutions, and communicate decisions. Outreach and engagement plans are also considered, highlighting NASA’s emphasis on education and community impact.
Awards are given not only for overall performance but also for innovation, task execution, and safety excellence.
Why the RC Division Matters
The NASA HERC RC Division prepares students for the realities of engineering careers. It teaches how to work within constraints, how to balance performance with safety, and how to justify decisions with data and documentation.
It is not about building a perfect rover. It is about learning how engineering works in the real world.
Team Mushak and the RC Division
Team Mushak has participated in the NASA HERC RC Division 2025 and is returning for the 2026 challenge. Our experience has helped us understand the importance of planning, testing, and learning from failures.
Through this blog, we aim to break down the RC Division in a way that is practical and honest, helping students understand what the competition truly involves and what it teaches beyond the score sheet.
Looking Forward
The RC Division is more than a category within NASA HERC. It is a hands on introduction to robotic exploration, systems engineering, and mission planning.
As Team Mushak continues preparing for NASA HERC 2026, we will keep sharing what we learn, how we apply it, and where we improve.
This is Team Mushak.
Learning through challenges.
Building through iteration.
And preparing, one step at a time, for NASA HERC 2026
TO SEE OUR JOURNEY YOU GUYS CAN STAY TUNED WITH US ON
1. YouTube: https://youtube.com/@teammushak?si=pyRJ3G6mEWIp_YXz
2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teammushak?igsh=cDBmYmZxdGoyZGwz
3. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/team-mushak
4. Twitter https://x.com/mushak_herc
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