Get Paid to Do Planetary Science at NASA JSC: LPI Summer Internship 2026 (Fully Funded, Up to $13,351 + $1,500 Completion Bonus)

If your idea of a good summer involves spacecraft data, crater counts, meteorites, or code that turns raw measurements into “wait… that is actually happening on Mars,” the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) Summer Internship 2026 belongs on your short list. This is not a coffee-fetching internship with a fancy logo. It’s 10 full weeks of real research in planetary science, in Houston, Texas, alongside scientists who do this for a living—often in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).

And yes: it’s fully funded. That phrase gets thrown around like confetti online, but here it means something concrete. The program provides $13,351 in support that covers the big, annoying barriers (travel, housing, day-to-day living), plus a $1,500 completion bonus if you finish strong and meet the program requirements. Translation: you’re not paying for the privilege of being brilliant.

Better still, it’s open to U.S. and international applicants. If you’re an undergrad with enough coursework under your belt to be useful in a lab or research group (they’re looking for at least 50 semester hours), this is one of those rare opportunities that can genuinely change your trajectory. Not in a mystical way. In a practical way: you’ll finish the summer with a research project, mentors who can write meaningful recommendations, and a clearer sense of whether your future is grad school, mission science, industry, or something you haven’t even named yet.

This internship is competitive—because it should be. You’ll want to treat the application like a mini research proposal about you: what you can do, what you want to learn, and why you’re ready to contribute.

LPI Summer Internship 2026 at a Glance

What This Internship Actually Offers (And Why It Matters)

Most “research internships” fall into one of two categories: either you do something meaningful but spend the whole summer worrying about money, or you get paid but the work is vague enough to fit on a motivational poster.

LPI’s program aims for the sweet spot: serious work with real support.

First, the money. The program states interns receive $13,351 in financial support, intended to cover airfare, stipend, housing, and living expenses. Housing costs, importantly, are handled directly with the housing vendor out of that amount—so you’re not floating thousands of dollars on your credit card and hoping for reimbursement later. That alone is a small miracle in the internship universe.

Then there’s the research environment. Being placed at LPI or NASA Johnson Space Center isn’t just a cool line on a resume (though it is that). It’s exposure to a workplace where planetary science isn’t theoretical—it’s a daily job with deadlines, data pipelines, peer review, and collaboration. You get to see how research questions get shaped into methods, and how methods get shaped into results that survive scrutiny.

Finally, the structure. Ten weeks is long enough to do more than scratch the surface but short enough that you need to be focused. A good internship project is like a well-planned hike: ambitious enough to be exciting, mapped carefully enough that you don’t end up wandering in circles. This program is designed for that kind of work—bounded, mentored, and real.

And the $1,500 completion bonus? That’s not just extra cash. It’s a signal: they care about follow-through, professional responsibility, and finishing what you start.

Where You Will Work: LPI or NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston

Houston in the summer is… enthusiastic. Hot, humid, unapologetic. Consider it field training for planetary environments (kidding—mostly). But scientifically, it’s a powerhouse setting for space research.

Interns are placed either at the Lunar and Planetary Institute or at NASA Johnson Space Center. In practice, that means you’re in an ecosystem where people talk about missions, instruments, sample analysis, modeling, software, and planetary geology like it’s normal conversation—because it is.

This matters because proximity changes everything. When your mentor’s colleague down the hall has worked on a mission you’ve been reading about, your questions get sharper. Your standards rise. And you start to picture yourself not just studying space science, but doing it.

Who Should Apply (With Real-World Examples)

The program prefers students in physical or natural sciences, engineering, computer science, or mathematics, but it also says all eligible students will be considered. That’s not an invitation to apply with zero connection to the work. It’s permission to apply if your path is slightly unconventional—but still relevant.

You’re a strong candidate if you can connect your skills to planetary science in a believable way.

If you’re a physics major who’s taken mechanics, electromagnetism, or statistical methods, you might fit naturally into modeling, instrumentation concepts, or data interpretation. If you’re a computer science student, your strongest angle may be writing analysis code, working with imaging pipelines, doing machine learning classification (careful: only mention it if you can explain it plainly), or managing complex datasets. If you’re an engineering student, you may bring the mindset of systems, constraints, and practical problem-solving that research groups love.

And if you’re in earth science, chemistry, or materials science? Planetary science borrows heavily from all of them. The best planetary researchers are often bilingual: fluent in their “home” discipline and capable of translating that expertise to extraterrestrial problems.

Eligibility-wise, the key pieces from the posting are straightforward: the internship is open worldwide, it’s open to U.S. citizens as well, and you need to be an undergraduate who has completed at least 50 semester hours.

One more note about English: IELTS is not required, but you do need proof of English proficiency via TOEFL, IELTS, or a letter from your current institution confirming your English language skills. For many international students, that letter option is a quiet gift—use it if it applies.

Funding and Benefits: What the Money Can Cover (Plan Like an Adult)

The program’s stated support ($13,351) covers the main cost buckets: airfare, a stipend component, housing, and living expenses. If you’re budgeting realistically, here’s how to think about it:

Housing in a major U.S. city for 10 weeks can eat a frightening amount of money if you’re careless. The fact that housing is paid directly to a vendor helps keep costs predictable. Your job is to avoid lifestyle inflation: you’re there to do research, not to test every restaurant in Houston (tempting though that may be).

Airfare is a major variable for international students. If you’re traveling from far away, make sure you understand what the program covers and what you might need to pay out-of-pocket (extra baggage, local transportation, visa-related costs, etc.). Don’t guess—ask early.

The completion bonus ($1,500) is best treated as “finish the summer with breathing room” money: pay down a flight upgrade you had to buy, cover moving costs back to campus, or bank it so you can say no to a terrible part-time job during the semester.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application (The Stuff People Learn Too Late)

1) Write like a researcher, not like a fan

Programs like this don’t need to be convinced that space is cool. Everyone already agrees. What they want is evidence that you can think carefully. Replace “I have always been passionate about space” with something like: a specific problem you’ve engaged with, a class project that taught you a method, or a moment you struggled with data and figured it out anyway.

2) Make your skills concrete

“Python” is not a personality trait. Neither is “lab experience.” If you say you can code, mention what you’ve done: cleaned datasets, built visualizations, used NumPy/Pandas, processed images, implemented algorithms, version-controlled work in Git. If you’ve done lab work, mention instruments, techniques, calibration, documentation habits, or error analysis.

Specific beats impressive. Vague sounds like wishful thinking.

3) Build a narrative that connects your major to planetary science

If your major isn’t “planetary science,” don’t apologize. Translate. For example: “I study materials science, and I’m interested in how mineral structures inform impact histories.” Or: “I’m a CS student focused on image processing, and I want to apply those tools to planetary surface imagery.”

Your application should feel like a bridge someone can walk across.

4) Choose recommenders who can describe how you work

You need at least two reference letters (up to three). The best letters talk about how you handle uncertainty, feedback, and deadlines. A professor who only knows you as “Student #18 who got an A” is fine, but not ideal. A research supervisor, lab instructor, project mentor, or faculty member who has seen you iterate on a hard task is gold.

And yes, you should help them help you: send your resume, your draft statement, and a short paragraph describing what you’re applying for and why.

5) Treat your transcript like part of the story, not a verdict

Not everyone has a perfect academic record. Reviewers can live with a bad semester if your trajectory makes sense and your materials show maturity. If you struggled early and then stabilized, your statement can acknowledge it briefly and move on. No drama, no excuses—just ownership and evidence you’ve improved.

6) Show you understand what 10 weeks can realistically accomplish

Ambition is great. Fantasy is not. The best applicants signal that they can complete a bounded research task: a dataset analysis, a focused modeling effort, a method comparison, a literature-grounded hypothesis test. You’re not “solving Mars.” You’re contributing one solid brick to a larger structure.

7) Polish the “small” details that scream professionalism

File names, formatting, deadlines, clean writing, consistent dates—these aren’t cosmetic. In research, details are the job. If your application looks careless, reviewers will assume your work will be too.

Application Timeline: A Practical Plan Backward From December 12, 2025

Even though the listing says “ongoing,” it also gives a specific deadline: December 12, 2025. Treat that date as real, and aim to submit early. Here’s a timeline that won’t make you miserable.

8–10 weeks before deadline (mid-October): identify your recommenders and ask them. Give them a clear due date at least a week before the official deadline. Start gathering transcripts now, especially if your institution processes “official” documents slowly.

6–8 weeks before (late October to early November): draft your main statement materials (whatever the portal requests). This is when you should also clarify your research interests in one page or less. If you can’t explain what you want to work on, reviewers can’t match you well.

4–6 weeks before (mid-November): revise with feedback. Get at least one reviewer outside your field to read for clarity. If they can’t summarize your interests accurately after reading it, tighten the writing.

2–3 weeks before (late November): finalize documents, confirm references are underway, and do a full portal run-through. Online systems always have one weird requirement.

Final week (early December): submit several days early. Technical issues love deadlines the way mosquitoes love ankles.

Required Materials (And How to Prepare Them Without Panic)

Based on the posting, you should expect to provide the online application plus these essentials:

• Online application form (required; paper applications not accepted). Plan to fill this out in one sitting only after you’ve drafted your responses elsewhere—portals time out.
• Reference letters (at least 2, maximum 3). Ask early, and provide your recommenders with context: your goals, the program details, and what you’d like them to highlight.
• Official transcript. Order it well in advance and confirm the format the program accepts (uploaded PDF, mailed, or sent electronically).
• Proof of English language ability via TOEFL, IELTS, or a letter from your current institute confirming your English language skills. If you’re using the letter option, request it early—universities can move at glacier speed.

Prepare these like you’re preparing a research notebook: complete, clear, and easy for someone else to review quickly.

What Makes an Application Stand Out (What Reviewers Are Really Judging)

Reviewers are trying to answer a few practical questions.

First: Can you do the work? They’ll look for evidence of skills—coursework, projects, coding, lab experience, writing ability, and follow-through. Potential matters as much as polish, but you need proof you’re ready for a mentored research sprint.

Second: Do your interests fit planetary science in a specific way? Planetary science is broad, but “I like planets” is not a research direction. A strong application names a topic area (remote sensing, planetary geology, atmospheres, impact processes, instrumentation, data analysis) and describes what you want to learn or contribute.

Third: Will you be a good colleague for ten weeks? Research is teamwork with deadlines. Applications that show curiosity, resilience, and the ability to take feedback seriously tend to rise. It’s not about being the loudest genius in the room. It’s about being the person others can rely on.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Writing a generic motivational essay

If your statement could be submitted to a business internship, it’s too generic. Fix it by adding one paragraph that is unmistakably planetary-science-specific: a paper you read, a dataset you want to work with, a research question you’ve been thinking about.

Mistake 2: Treating references as an afterthought

Letters are often the silent deal-breaker. Fix it by selecting recommenders who can describe your work habits and by giving them plenty of lead time plus your materials.

Mistake 3: Overselling and under-explaining

Big claims with no evidence make reviewers suspicious. Fix it by pairing every claim with an example. If you say you’re “experienced in data analysis,” mention the project, the tools, and the outcome.

Mistake 4: Ignoring the English proof requirement

“IELTS not required” does not mean “no English documentation.” Fix it by deciding early whether you’ll submit TOEFL/IELTS scores or request an institutional letter—and then actually obtaining it.

Mistake 5: Waiting until the last day to use the portal

Online forms are chaos on deadline week. Fix it by submitting early and keeping PDFs of everything you upload.

Mistake 6: Forgetting this is a 10-week program with a finish line

The completion bonus implies expectations. Fix it by signaling reliability: talk about meeting deadlines, completing long projects, or balancing responsibilities successfully.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the LPI Summer Internship 2026 open to international students?

Yes. The posting states the internship is open to applicants from all over the world, and it also welcomes U.S. citizens.

Do I need IELTS to apply?

No—IELTS is not required specifically. But you do need proof of English. The program accepts TOEFL, IELTS, or a letter from your current institute confirming English proficiency.

What does fully funded mean here?

The program reports $13,351 in financial support covering airfare, stipend, housing, and living expenses, plus a $1,500 completion bonus for interns who complete the program and meet requirements.

Where will the internship take place?

In Houston, Texas, either at the Lunar and Planetary Institute or NASA Johnson Space Center.

How long is the internship and when does it run?

It’s 10 weeks, running June 1 through August 7, 2026.

Who is eligible as an undergraduate?

Undergraduate students who have completed at least 50 semester hours of credit are eligible, according to the posting.

How many recommendation letters are required?

At least two reference letters are required, with a maximum of three.

What is the real deadline if it says ongoing?

The listing is tagged “ongoing,” but it also provides a specific deadline: December 12, 2025. Treat December 12 as your planning target, and submit early.

How to Apply (Next Steps You Can Do This Week)

Start by opening the application page and skimming the entire form once. Don’t type anything yet. Just learn what the portal asks for, what uploads are required, and how references are submitted. Online systems have quirks, and you want to discover them while you still have time to fix them.

Then, line up your two recommenders immediately. Give them your resume and a short draft of your research interests so they can write something specific. While they’re working, request your official transcript and secure your English proficiency documentation (test scores or an institutional letter). These are the items most likely to slow you down.

Finally, write your application text in a separate document first, revise it like you mean it, and paste it into the portal when it’s ready. Submit a few days early so you’re not negotiating with Wi‑Fi at 11:58 p.m.

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page here: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpiintern/app/application_form/