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Statistics

Competition structure

The 2027 competition awards 500 points: four missions at 100 each plus the System Acceptance Review at 100 S-URC27-RULES §1.a.i. Mission scores cannot fall below zero, and penalties multiply the points actually earned rather than the 100-point maximum. That single rule means the same penalty costs a strong team more than a weak one. This page states the structure, the points per minute of each mission clock and the dates that decide whether a team reaches the field at all.

500Total pointsFour missions at 100 plus the review2027S-URC27-RULES
100Points per missionIndependent, with a floor at zero2027S-URC27-RULES
5 %Penalty per kg over 50Of the points scored in that event2027S-URC27-RULES
36Highest review scores invitedFrom about 116 registrations a year2027S-URC27-RULES

Key takeaways

  • The five components are equal in maximum points and unequal in effect. Each mission and the review are worth 100, yet Autonomy, Equipment Servicing and Delivery explain 83 % of the variance in finals totals and the review explains 2.8 % S-URC-RESULTS.
  • A penalty scales with success. Being 2 kg heavy costs 10 % of the points scored, so it is cheapest on a mission that was going badly anyway S-URC27-RULES §2.a.iii.
  • The review is the gate. About one registered team in three is invited, and a team outside the top 36 has no field score at all S-URC27-RULES §3.a.iii.
  • Autonomy carries the largest capability cliff. A rover that never operates autonomously forfeits 95 of the 100 Autonomy points and has a hard ceiling of 405 of 500 S-URC27-RULES §1.e.

The five components

Mission scores are independent and cannot go below zero. Penalties are additive percentages applied to each mission’s earned points, so a 10 % and a 20 % penalty leave 70 % of what was earned. The expense-report penalty is a total-score administrative penalty rather than a mission penalty.

Component Clock Points What is scored
Astrobiology 20–30 min, plus 5 min cache removal 100 Two sites, sampling, life-detection analysis and documentation S-URC27-RULES §1.b.ii
Delivery 30–60 min total 100 Cargo handling, a marked path and precise positioning S-URC27-RULES §1.c.i
Equipment Servicing 30 min, including up to 100 m of travel 100 Fifteen or more dexterous operations on a lander mock-up S-URC27-RULES §1.d.i
Autonomy 40 min 100 Astronaut assistance at 50 and route finding at 50 S-URC27-RULES §1.e.i
System Acceptance Review Desk review over the season 100 Video, report and judges’ assessment S-URC26-SAR

The 2027 task weights for Astrobiology, Delivery and Equipment Servicing are not published, so the published per-task values exist only for the Autonomy mission. The 2027 review rubric is scheduled for early 2027 and was not available for this analysis S-URC27-SAR.

Points per minute of mission clock

Low point density is not the same as an easy mission: Autonomy’s points sit in a small number of hard targets. The density measures time pressure, not difficulty.

Mission Clock Available points per minute Reading
Astrobiology 20–30 min 3.33–5.00 The most time-dense mission: design for the 20-minute case
Delivery 30–60 min 1.67–3.33 2026 ran 35 plus 20 minutes, a realised 1.82 points per minute
Equipment Servicing 30 min 3.33 Many small tasks, each worth a fraction of the mission
Autonomy 40 min 2.50 Two sub-missions of 50 that may be attempted in either order

What a capability is worth

The Autonomy mission publishes its full point breakdown, which makes it the clearest statement of value in the rules.

Task Points Condition
Suit camera and microphone at the command station 5 No autonomy required
Autonomous drive to the astronaut 5 Stop within 3 m
Follow 15 Gesture 15, audio 10, device or sign 5, as alternatives
Stay 5 Rover holds while the astronaut moves more than 20 m away
Fetch 10 Autonomous pick-up; teleoperation scores zero
Come 5 Autonomous return, stop within 3 m
Give 5 Autonomous placement of the implement
Route target 1 25 Autonomous stop within 1 m
Route target 2 25 Same, behind the hill and out of radio line of sight

A teleoperation-only rover keeps the 5 suit points and forfeits 95. The arithmetic ceiling is 405 of 500 before any loss of Equipment Servicing typing points S-URC27-RULES §1.e.

Mean score per mission family and year
Mean mission scores from 2013 to 2026, with the written review in the lower panel. The four mission families sit on separate lineages so a renamed task stays on one line. Sample: every archived and official score sheet from 2013 to 2026.Robotics Club @ Mississippi State University, 2026. Original analysis. S-URC13-SCORES S-URC19-SCORES Full resolution
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The interactive view uses the 2022–2026 score sheets only, where all four mission families carry the same names and the same 100-point maximum S-URC22-SCORES S-URC26-SCORES.

Penalties

The mass penalty is 5 % of the points scored in the event per whole kilogram over 50, with weight rounded down before the penalty is applied S-URC27-RULES §2.a.iii. The stowage penalty is larger: a configuration that does not fit the 1.2 m cube costs 40 % of that event S-URC27-RULES §2.a.ii, the equivalent of 8 kg of overweight at the same score.

Overweight Penalty Loss at 100 points Loss at 50 points
1 kg 5 % 5.00 2.50
2 kg 10 % 10.00 5.00
3 kg 15 % 15.00 7.50
4 kg 20 % 20.00 10.00

Deadlines for 2027

Date Milestone Clause
2026-10-30 Registration closes §3.a.i
2026-12-02 Preliminary Design Review §3.a.ii
2027-03-05 System Acceptance Review §3.a.iii
2027-04-30 Communications documentation §2.c.ii
2027-05-21 Science Plan §1.b.i
2027-05-26 Rover Expense Report, with an update allowed to 2027-06-02 §3.c.ii
2027-06-02 to 2027-06-05 Finals §1.a.i, §3.a.iv

The values on this page

Statistic Value Definition Period Sample Source Chart and chapter
Total score 500 Four missions plus the review 2027 Rules S-URC27-RULES §1.a.i Missions and scoring
Mission floor 0 A mission score cannot be negative 2027 Rules S-URC27-RULES §1.a.i Missions and scoring
Invited field 36 Highest review scores invited 2027 About 116 registrations S-URC27-RULES §3.a.iii Review and judging
Mass penalty 5 % per kg Of points scored in the event 2027 Rules S-URC27-RULES §2.a.iii Rules, limits and the field
Stowage penalty 40 % For exceeding the 1.2 m cube 2027 Rules S-URC27-RULES §2.a.ii Rules, limits and the field
Review weights 48 / 40 / 12 Video, report, judges 2026 2026 review S-URC26-SAR Review and judging

Evidence note

The scoring structure is fixed by the 2027 rules, so there is no sample to state beyond the rulebook itself. The points-per-minute figures are arithmetic on the published mission clocks and are not a statement about difficulty. The three 2026 review weights are used because the 2027 rubric is not yet published.

Sources for this page

  1. S-URC27-RULESUniversity Rover Challenge 2027 – Requirements and GuidelinesThe Mars Society / URC.Original Archived copy
  2. S-URC-RESULTSURC official scores 2022–2026, compiled CSVThe Mars Society / URC, 2022–2026.Print copy
  3. S-URC26-SARURC2026 System Acceptance Review Requirements + SAR Q&AThe Mars Society / URC, 2026 (updated 2026-02-17).Original
  4. S-URC27-SARURC System Acceptance Review page, states "URC2027 SAR Requirements will be posted in early 2027!"URC, 2026 (page as accessed).Original
  5. S-URC22-SCORESURC2022 Official ScoresURC, 2022-06.Original
  6. S-URC26-SCORESURC2026 Official ScoresURC, 2026-05/06.Original Archived copy