Since its inception in 2012 Space Apps, a part of NASA’s Earth Science Division, has become the world’s largest global hackathon. Space Apps engages thousands of individuals and teams each year across the globe to work with NASA data in the building of innovative solutions to challenges we face on Earth and in space. Space Apps inspires local innovation communities in cities across six continents to convene, ideate, and build. Diverse and collaborative teams of technologists, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, and others work together in a 48-hour sprint to develop answers to some of the most pressing challenges in Space and facing planet Earth. Space Apps 2021 welcomed 28,000+ participants from 323 locations in 160+ countries, producing 4000+ projects in response to Earth Science challenge statements written by NASA.
In 2012, New York City became a founding site for NASA's Space Apps Challenge, a worldwide hackathon that has enabled historic global collaboration between volunteers, private companies, NGOs, and government agencies. Space Apps NYC has hosted the NASA Space Apps Challenge every year since.