# International Space Games: Simulating an Off-World Settlement for Engineers
In summer 2026, student teams from CIS countries, SCO, and BRICS+ nations will take part in the first International Space Games (ISG). Participants will spend a week in sealed domes on a closed testing ground, simulating off-world colony conditions. Tasks include ensuring power supply, oxygen regeneration, and responding to emergencies. The concept was presented at the Russian Space Forum during Space Week.
Teams independently design life support systems that impact the overall settlement sustainability. Support from ground-based labs is minimal, with emphasis on autonomy.
Key Engineering Challenges
Participants tackle tasks under limited resources and tight timelines:
- Designing and launching biofarms for food and oxygen production.
- Water purification and closed-loop recycling systems.
- Creating autonomous power circuits based on solar panels and batteries.
- Setting up and maintaining rovers for surface exploration.
Every engineering decision is tested in real time. Failures in one subsystem affect the entire infrastructure, modeling risks of real missions.
National teams consist of:
- Flight engineer — responsible for mechanics and sealing.
- Unmanned systems programmer — develops algorithms for rovers and drones.
- Researcher — conducts experiments in biology and materials science.
- Communications specialist — ensures data transmission to Mission Control.
Technologies and Skills in Focus
The games target mid- to senior-level expertise. Participants integrate robotics, AI for predictive system maintenance, and biotechnology for farms. Scenario uncertainty demands improvisation: from pressure repairs to optimizing energy balance under changing conditions.
Example of a typical scenario: a power circuit failure causes oxygen levels to drop. The team reallocates resources, programs a rover for repairs, and adjusts the biofarm. Such exercises build skills in fault-tolerant design and resource allocation.
Preparing Talent for Space
The ISG are integrated into the federal "Talent for Space" project. The goal is to form an international pool of engineers in priority areas: energy, robotics, AI, biotechnology. Online broadcasts will turn the event into a global reality show with survival metrics monitoring.
Test games for schoolchildren "MARS-2045" were held in Moscow from April 10 to 12, 2026, at Skolkovo School and HSE University. Participants simulated dome deployment and life support systems.
What Matters
- Teams live a week in autonomous domes, tackling real mission challenges.
- Focus on integrating energy, robotics, and biotechnology.
- Teams from CIS, SCO, BRICS+ build an engineering community.
- Online broadcasts ensure global reach.
- The project prepares space talent without simplifying terminology.
Organizers: Russian Federation's Ministry of Education and Science, Roscosmos, HSE University, NTI. The games model challenges relevant to Mars or the Moon, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration.
— Editorial Team
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