History
Through the leadership of Dan Hawk, former president of the CMN rocket club, Norbert Hill, former Vice-President of the CMN Green Bay campus, Dr. Aileen Yingst, WSGC Director, and Sharon Brandt, WSGC Program Manager, the inaugural launch took place at Richard Bong State Recreational Area on May 1, 2010, with the help of a Minority Serving Institution Partnership grant from NASA. During the second year of FNL, American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) teams were added.
The First Nations Launch program became part of the NASA Artemis Student Challenges program in 2020. Undergraduate students from 24 US and Canadian teams participate in the Moon or Mars Challenge. More than 77 tribes have been represented since the program began. If it were not for the generous funding of NASA during the initial launch, the First Nations Launch program would not exist. NASA is committed to promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math opportunities for everyone. Their investment continues to impact the generations of Native American students attending Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, and collegiate American Indian Science and Engineering chapter.