Space Prizes 2.0: Should NASA Stop Paying for Hardware and Start Paying for Outcomes?

Should NASA use prizes for technology advancement and exploration activities? Instead of paying for hardware, NASA could pay for outcomes instead. In this video I explore the idea with examples and some suggestions on how to structure a prize competition.

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00:00 Intro
02:22 Tiered Pool Prizes
04:09 Sandbagging
04:20 Reduces Incentive for the Hard Problem with the Big Prize Payout
04:37 Launch Costs Are Too Expensive for Most Competitors
05:10 Smarter Alternatives
05:18 Milestone-based Prizes
05:51 Guaranteed launch slots or heavy subsidies for Finalists
06:56 Mars Sample Return: An Example
09:53 Final Thoughts
10:21 Outro

Sources:

NASA Centennial Challenges: https://www.nasa.gov/prizes-challenges-and-crowdsourcing/centennial-challenges/

Google Lunar XPRIZE: https://www.xprize.org/competitions/google-lunar

Exclusive: Delays, setbacks loom over Trump's Golden Dome missile shield: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/delays-setbacks-loom-over-trumps-golden-dome-missile-shield-2025-11-21/