ROSDCROSPIN - Romanian Space Initiative
Romanian Space Design Competition

Build a city
in space.

One day. One company of high-school students. One settlement design that has to convince a jury. Winners go on to the national final, then Europe, then the international stage.

Sign up in your city Read the brochure
Cities
6
Cost
Free
Grades
9 to 12
01About

A competition that puts you inside the aerospace industry for a day.

2026 is the fifth edition of ROSDC. Five years of students, sketches, pitches and a few trips abroad. This one is the anniversary edition.

The Romanian Space Design Competition is an interdisciplinary challenge that immerses 9th to 12th-grade students in the practical experience of aerospace industry projects.

Students from different schools form companies and are tasked with designing an innovative space settlement. You take part in every step, from planning and detailing to presenting your ideas in front of judges and the other companies, just like in the real sector.

Who
High-school students, grades 9 to 12
Cost
Free, lunch included
Format
One day, on a weekend
Where
Your city, then national, European and international stages
Team
Sign up alone or with up to 6 friends
Experience needed
None. Curiosity helps.
0
students took part in the last edition
0
students from Romania reached ISSDC 2026
0+
participants since the first edition
02The road

Four stages. Keep winning, keep going.

The jury picks the winning company. The mentors watch how you work during the day and select students for the next stage, based on the places available.

  1. Stage 01
    Local stage
    6 cities in Romania

    One day in your city. Join a company, design a settlement, pitch it to the jury.

    Oct to Dec 2026
  2. Stage 02
    National final
    Romania

    The best students from every local stage meet for the Romanian final.

    Organized by ROSPIN
  3. Stage 03
    EUSDC
    Europe

    The European Space Design Competition, with teams from countries across Europe.

    Run by SSEF
  4. Stage 04
    ISSDC
    International final

    The International Space Settlement Design Competition. The last stop.

    Run by SSEF
03Sign up

Six cities. Tap yours on the map.

The local stage runs in six cities this edition. Pick a city to see its date, venue and the sign-up form. Registration takes two minutes.

BucharestCluj-NapocaBrașovTimișoaraConstanțaIași
Tap a city to open its sign-up
Local stage · 6 citiesImagery: NASA Blue Marble
Step 1 of 2

Pick your city.

Tap a city on the map or in the list below. Its date, venue and sign-up form will appear right here.

Or choose from the list
  • One city per student. Pick the one closest to you.
  • Groups of up to 6. Every member fills in the form.
  • Bring a laptop or a tablet. Lunch is on us.
04What to expect

On the day, you are not a student.
You are a company.

Fifth edition · 2026
Request for proposal

A new settlement, somewhere in the solar system.

From
The Foundation Society
To
Your company (one of four bidding)
Deadline
18:00, competition day
Format
Design proposal and presentation to the jury

Imagine a solar system with a much more evolved aerospace industry. The Foundation Society has made huge breakthroughs in space and wants to expand with new settlements. It has contracted four companies to design and present settlement plans. You join one of them.

Your company elects its leadership, splits into departments and has eight hours to design, detail and build a presentation that wins the contract. Experienced volunteers act as CEOs and advise you along the way. The company president is elected by everyone, department heads by their teams.

Open positions
  1. 01Structural DesignBlueprints and visuals. Mechanics, materials, physics.
  2. 02Human FactorsHow people live, eat, sleep and stay sane up there.
  3. 03Operations & InfrastructureDay-to-day systems and how they run together.
  4. 04Mission SystemsThe core technical functions that let the settlement do its job.
  5. 05Business & MarketingSchedule, costs and convincing the client you can deliver.
Read the brochureWhat to bring (PDF)
06Questions
Any high-school student in grades 9 to 12 (or the equivalent in other education systems), from any school in Romania. It is completely free.
No. There are no obligatory qualifications to compete in ROSDC. A passion for science and a bit of curiosity are all you need.
No. You can sign up alone or with friends, in groups of up to 6. Every member of the group fills in the form individually. On competition day you all become part of a bigger company with other students.
You receive a hypothetical scenario: The Foundation Society wants to build a new space settlement and asks four companies for proposals. Your company designs the settlement, thinking about everything people need to live there, and presents the plan to a jury.
Two things happen on the day. The jury picks the best company based on the proposal and the presentation. At the same time, the mentors watch closely how you work during the day, and they select students from all the companies for the next stage, according to the number of places available. Those students go to the national final, then to EUSDC in Europe, and the top ones on to ISSDC, the international final.
Local (in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, Timișoara, Constanța, Iași), national, EUSDC (European, with several countries) and ISSDC (international).
A laptop or a tablet to work from, a charger, and lots of ideas. Lunch is provided. Check the full list in the What to bring PDF.Open the PDF
The official ROSDC brochure has everything about the competition, the story, the rules and the prizes.Read the brochure
No, you can sign up in one city only. Pick the one closest to you.

Ready
to launch?

Six cities, one day, a company of students like you. Grab your friends and sign up before your city closes.

Sign up in your city Read the brochure @ro.sdc

ROSDC is part of EUSDC and SSEF.

Credits
Organized by
ROSPIN (Romanian Space Initiative) logo
ROSPIN (Romanian Space Initiative)

A non-governmental organization of people dedicated to developing the Romanian space ecosystem. ROSPIN runs the local and national stages.

rospin.org
Part of
EUSDC logo
EUSDC

The European Space Design Competition. ROSDC is its Romanian leg, and our national winners compete there against students from across Europe.

eusdc.org
Under the rules of
SSEF logo
SSEF

The Space Science Engineering Foundation, the UK educational charity that runs the European and international stages of the Space Settlement Design Competition.

ssef.org.uk