Scores 

A list of all team scores from the competition round are posted to this page 48 hours after the individual teams score sheets are emailed to the team directors. Scores are typically posted to this page the Thursday following the end of the competition window.
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PRACTICE ROUND 1

QUALIFICATION ROUND 1

PRACTICE ROUND 2

QUALIFICATION ROUND 2

PRACTICE ROUND 3

QUALIFICATION ROUND 3

TEAM TOTAL ROUND SCORES (ADVANCEMENT TO SEMIFINAL ROUND)

SEMIFINAL ROUND SCORES (ADVANCEMENT TO NATIONAL FINALS)

Practice Round 1 (PR1) Recap

SCENARIO OBSERVATIONS

SOLVING THE SCENARIO

This scenario was a standard “find the best orbit to collect the most data” scenario. The task was a straightforward “Access” calculation. Teams were to use the Access function to determine the number of minutes GEOPACH’s Scanner could “see” two land masses (the country of Chile and the island of Rapa Nui). To score well in the scenario, teams needed an orbit that accessed the two areas as many times as possible.
 
Since Chile reaches far south in the southern hemisphere, a highly inclined orbit was needed. The southernmost point of Chile is 56° 32′ 16″ South (-56.538°). Fortunately, the Bespoke launch vehicle, launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, can reach an orbit with an inclination of up to 60°. Therefore, an orbit with an inclination of 56.6° ensured that GEOPACH passed over the entire country.
 
Another mission requirement was to cover as much of the two areas as possible; ideally 100%. Since the satellite’s Scanner had a rectangular field-of-view (FoV) of Vertical 1.5° by Horizonal 0.5236°, GEOPACH needed to be placed at a high altitude, so the Scanner’s FoV covered a larger area. An altitude near 4,500 km (maximum possible altitude for the Bespoke) significantly increased the sensor’s coverage area. Since the two areas are in the southern hemisphere, GEOPACH’s apogee should be located in the south near Chile. The perigee should be at a lower altitude, but not lower than the satellite lower limit of 300 km, to ensure a more rapid revisit of the target areas.
 
Finally, as noted, teams were tasked to map the island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and high scores seemed possible due to its high scoring scale of Rapa Nui imagery (1 point for every 30 seconds of data collected). However, the island is so small, only 163.6 km2, that it is almost impossible to collect a large amount of data needed to significantly raise the final scenario score. Teams were better served attempting to collect as much Chile imagery as possible.
 
The best orbits for this mission seemed to have elliptical orbits with apogees near 4,500 km and located above Chile with an inclination between 53° and 56°. The Argument of Perigee, RAAN, and True Anomaly were adjusted to reach the optimum performance. A very challenging task.

​For this scenario, the highest scoring orbit found for GEOPACH was Apogee: 4,500 km, Perigee: 2,200 km, Inclination: 54°, Argument of Perigee: 81.7°, RAAN: 338° and True Anomaly: 105°.  This orbit results in a Scenario score of 98.479. One team selected this orbit. Congratulations!

The average score including violations for teams that turned in their scenario VDF was 67.633. Only nine teams had apogee, perigee, or inclination violations. Excellent.

ACADEMIC QUIZ

The average score on the Academic Quiz was 17.693 out of 20. Twenty-five teams scored 20 out of 20. For the best chance at success, we encourage all teams to review the study guides and the StellarXplorers Space Foundation course prior to starting the quiz. 

TOTAL ROUND SCORES

The highest possible total score in this Practice Round was 118.479 (although, higher scores may be possible).

IMPORTANT REMINDER – DESTRUCTION OF STLX COMPETITION MATERIALS ​

All copies of the PR1 competition scenario booklet, score sheets, STK PR1 VDFs, and team-produced documents must be collected and destroyed (or deleted) prior to the start of Qualification Round 1 on October 29, 2026.

Continuing to hold onto materials from previous rounds, after the start of a new round, is a violation of the StellarXplorers Rule Book. Help us to ensure the integrity of the Competition by complying with these directions.   ​
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PROCEDURAL OBSERVATIONS

​​Team Numbers
Your team number (STLX13-XXXX) is very important during the StellarXplorers competition. It is how we track your results, store your files, and most importantly grade your solutions.

In PR1, 38 teams generated 40 instances of bad team numbers on either the start form, quiz form, the VDF upload, or their VDF file name. 

Our automated grading system looks for your team number in order to launch the scoring process. It looks for precisely 11 characters (STLX13-XXXX) to find and score your file. If there are more than or less than these 11 characters, the grader will abort the scoring process for all teams, and we must manually repair the incorrect team number. For example, say your team number is STLX13-0987.  Typing anything other than STLX13-0987 (even accidentally putting an extra space in front of the team number) will cause the grader to abort. The team number format is case sensitive, so be sure to use UPPERCASE letters. 

With regard to VDF uploads, it's important that teams follow the directions provided when it comes to doing their upload and naming their files, otherwise it will cause the grader to fail. The upload process generates the following unique file naming convention for team STLX13-0987: FirstName_LastName_UploadedFileName or QR1_STLX13-0987_QR1_STLX13-0987.vdf. The characters before the first underscore are whatever was entered in the First Name field, the next string of characters before the second underscore are from the Last Name field, and the remaining characters reflect the actual uploaded file's name. 
 
To help you avoid this mistake in the future, view the “Penalty Paper” to see a list of all the wrong ways (and the only right way) to provide your team number. This document also outlines other common penalties and how to avoid them. If you need clarification, contact [email protected].

PENALTY PAPER PDF

In all future rounds, teams will be penalized 5 POINTS each time they submit something with an incorrect team number. This includes the start form, academic quiz, solution upload/submission form, and/or VDF filename. It is imperative that you provide the correct team number in the correct STLX13-XXXX format.
 
And as always, include your team number in the subject line of all messages to us. It makes it easier for us to find you in our database and to file the information that you send to us.
 
Running Systems Tool Kit (STK)
As emphasized in prior communications, teams should load STK 13.0.1* Premium (which includes the Planetary Data Supplement) onto their computers and test that the software is operating successfully BEFORE STARTING THE ROUND. By “before” we mean days before, and also immediately prior to starting. We cannot guarantee staff support for last-minute technical issues, and teams will not be given any time relief if they do not have STK running on their computers at the start of the competition period. If needed, sample VDFs are available with our Training Materials, and can be used to test the software.
 
For those still needing licenses, please reach out to the StellarXplorers Program Staff as soon as possible to request them.

Changing STK Fixed Variables
Teams should not change any of the Fixed Variables in STK. These variables include but are not limited to: Start Time, Stop Time, Propagator, Step Size, Coord Epoch Time, etc. Additionally, teams should not change any component on the satellite, a target, or a facility on the ground. We use a team’s VDF to determine that team’s score. Therefore, these variables must remain the same so that we can fairly evaluate every team (this is why we impose severe penalties if these items are changed). Teams should only change the orbital elements of the satellite.
 
Several teams changed the Orbit Coord System, Step Size, and the Propagator. These changes can happen when a team uses the STK Orbit Wizard. If you use Orbit Wizard, be sure to check that the Fixed Variables, as shown in Appendix I of the scenario booklet, have not been changed.

Incomplete Submissions
There were 22 teams that had incomplete submissions 2 that didn't complete the quiz, 14 that failed to submit a VDF, and 6 that didn't complete the quiz nor submit a VDF. Without a VDF, teams cannot be provided a scenario score, as there's nothing to grade. Be sure to complete all required tasks in a round for the best chance to generate the highest possible score for your team. 
  
​StellarXplorers Space Foundations Course (Nova Space)
Please make sure your team has access to the Nova Space learning platform BEFORE starting the round. Utilization of this course is instrumental in preparing for the academic quiz. If you need help accessing the course, please contact the StellarXplorers Program Office.
 
Confirmation Emails
Team directors will receive automated confirmation emails upon submission of a team’s start form, scenario component selections (in Round 2, Round 3, and the Semifinal Round), and academic quiz (when applicable). We are unable to provide automated confirmation emails for receipt of VDF submissions, but the team will receive a confirmation message on the screen once the file is uploaded successfully. 
 
Confirmation emails are sent to the email address provided in the “Team Director Email” field of the forms. To ensure there’s no delay in the delivery of these automated emails, competitors should pay close attention to the email address they are providing. There was only one instance of an incorrect email addresses this round. Great job!
 
Round Prep and Start Emails
QR1's Prep Email will be sent out at 12:00 PM ET on Tuesday, October 20 and PR1's Start Email will be sent out at 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday, October 28 (the day prior to the start of the competition window). To prevent delays in preparing for, or starting, the round, please contact [email protected] ASAP if you haven’t received these emails by 2:00 PM ET on either day.

Team Rosters

Team directors do not need to finalize their rosters to compete in PR1. However, all team members must be assigned to a specific team and the final roster established no later than October 21, 2026. After that date, no additions or substitutions are allowed. Team members can be removed from a team, but they cannot be reassigned to a different team.