Planetary science is where space science meets problem-solving. It blends geology, atmospheric science, physics, and astronomy to answer some of the biggest questions out there: How did planets form? Could life exist beyond Earth? What can distant worlds tell us about our own? For students interested in exploring these topics further, a planetary science summer program can offer hands-on opportunities and in-depth learning.
One day, you might be analyzing the mineral composition of Martian soil. The next, you’re modeling the orbital dance of Jupiter’s moons or writing Python code to process spectral data from the James Webb Space Telescope. If that sounds exciting (and not intimidating), you’re already thinking like a planetary scientist.
Why should you choose a planetary science program?
If you enjoy tackling challenging, real-world problems and want more than just classroom learning. Many emphasize hands-on research, advanced skill-building, and a strong foundation in astronomy, physics, and mathematics. If you’ve taken (or are comfortable with) calculus and physics and you’re excited by unstructured problems where there isn’t a single “right” answer, you’ll likely thrive in these environments.
In this blog, we’ve compiled 13 planetary science summer programs for high school students. You can also check out our blog on astronomy summer programs for high school students.
13 Planetary Science Summer Programs for High School Students
1. NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES)
Location: University of Texas at Austin, TX
Cost: Free!
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Project-specific online work with mentors from June – July 3, followed by on-site internship from July 5 – 18
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors who are US citizens aged 16+
At SEES, you will work directly with NASA subject-matter experts and UT Austin researchers on projects spanning disciplines such as aerospace, astronomy, planetary science, remote sensing, microgravity research, and space geodetic techniques. You will gain proficiency in processing satellite imagery, using tools such as ArcGIS for geospatial analysis, and writing Python scripts to interpret large environmental datasets. You will contribute to the actual data analysis of NASA missions on Earth’s systems and natural hazards. The internship concludes with a Virtual Science Symposium, where you will present your learnings to the wider NASA community.
2. Summer Science Program (SSP) in Astrophysics
Location: Various campuses across the country. Previous partners have included Georgia College, Purdue University, University of North Carolina, and Indiana University, among others
Cost: $9,800 program fee; the fee for each individual is on a sliding scale according to what they can afford, with a $75,000 family income being the cutoff for free attendance, as well as travel expenses
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Mid-June – Late July, with exact dates varying by campus
Application Deadline: February 19
Eligibility: Current high school juniors (aged 15-18) who have completed or are completing any level of high school physics AND precalculus by June for credit and a grade.
The Summer Science Program is somewhat unique in that each year, a different research project is offered to incoming attendees. In the most recent session, you will spend your days (and nights) observing a near-Earth asteroid with a research-grade telescope, then writing Python code to calculate its orbital elements and predict its future positions. You will learn vector calculus, spherical trigonometry, and celestial mechanics from the ground up to determine the likelihood of an asteroid impacting Earth. By the end of the program, you will contribute to the Minor Planet Center database by sending in your scientific data to assist scientists with predicting the asteroid’s future path.
3. Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA)
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: $7,800, with limited need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective, only 32 students admitted
Dates: June 22 – July 3 for the online self-directed study component, July 5 – August 2 for the residential component
Application Deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors aged 15+
YSPA is conducted as a blend of summer camp, college course, and lab internship – you will conduct a research project that involves acquiring images of celestial objects using Yale’s telescopes and analyzing the data using standard astronomical software. You will learn to write scripts for photometry and spectroscopy, calibrate raw telescope data (handling bias, dark, and flat frames), and model the physical properties of supernovae or exoplanet transits. The curriculum focuses heavily on programming and data reduction, preparing you for the computational reality of modern astrophysics.
4. Johns Hopkins APL ASPIRE Program
Location: Laurel, MD (Hybrid and virtual options often available)
Cost: Free; unpaid internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, less than 10% of applicants admitted
Dates: 190 hours completed (30-40 hours per week) between June 23 – August 21
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors aged 15+ with a minimum 2.8 GPA and permanent residence in select Maryland or Virginia counties. You can see the detailed criteria here.
The ASPIRE Program is an unpaid internship that connects you with staff mentors at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), the facility responsible for missions like New Horizons and Parker Solar Probe, to work on projects related to space exploration and data analysis. You will develop technical skills in areas such as spacecraft instrumentation, planetary geophysics, and the analysis of telemetry data from active missions. The program emphasizes independent problem-solving, requiring you to work on your own, communicate with APL staff and mentors, and learn to apply technical skills in a professional setting.
5. UCSC Science Internship Program (SIP)
Location: University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
Cost: $4,250 plus housing; up to a third of all interns also receive need-based scholarships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15 – 19 (online research week) | June 22 – August 7 (in-person research experience)
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-17
UCSC’s SIP lets you intern in various research departments, including the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, working on projects such as identifying faint quasars in the Milky Way or exploring the kinematics and substructure of distant galaxies. You could learn to use tools such as Topcat for catalog handling, Python for data visualization, or even access data from the Keck Observatory. Research projects in astronomy focus on computational astrophysics, meaning you will spend significant time coding and interpreting complex datasets and working at the intersection of mathematics and observation.
6. UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP)
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Cost: $5,675 for commuter | $13,274 for residential
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 9
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors (or outstanding freshmen) with a minimum 3.8 GPA
UCSB’s RMP is an intensive research experience that pairs you with a research mentor to tackle a specific question in astrophysics or planetary geology, such as investigating the geomorphology of Mars or the fluid dynamics of planetary interiors. You will conduct 35-50 hours of research per week, ranging from synthesizing background literature, conducting fieldwork, aggregating data, and applying statistical methods to validate your results. The program demands a high level of academic writing, as you are required to produce a formal research paper and present your findings in a conference setting.
7. Stony Brook University Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Free; stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~5-8% acceptance rate
Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 5
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who have been nominated by their school
Stony Brook’s Simons SRP is a fully-funded outreach program where you engage in a rigorous apprenticeship with distinguished faculty mentors across STEM, working on real projects. The list of mentors includes experts in atmospheric sciences, geosciences, physics, and astronomy. In addition to the hands-on research experience itself, you’ll also attend weekly faculty research talks and participate in special workshops, tours, and events. The program concludes with a poster symposium, where you will present your research.
8. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Cost: Free; scholars are provided a $750 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective, only 12 students accepted per year
Dates: June 21 – August 6
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors at least 17 years old
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program is a highly intensive seven-week research initiative where you will work one-on-one with faculty from various departments, including Physics, and conduct research on topics like utilizing pulsars as gravitational wave detectors or using algorithms to hunt for pulsators and binary systems. You will develop a deep understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of your project, often utilizing advanced mathematical modeling software or analyzing data from radio telescope arrays. Clark Scholars is a discipline-flexible research program, and students interested in planetary science should apply specifically to physics or astronomy projects that intersect with planetary systems, space instrumentation, or astrophysical data analysis. The program is intense and research-focused, expecting you to function at the level of an upper-division undergraduate.
9. Research Science Institute (RSI)
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective, only 100 students admitted
Dates: 6 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Early to mid-December
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who are at least 16 years old by July 1
MIT’s RSI is an intensive six-week research program that has you working on an independent research project under the guidance of an MIT research mentor. You will read current literature to identify a gap in scientific knowledge, then execute a research plan to address it using the resources of MIT. You might work on projects involving exoplanet detection algorithms or the physics of the interstellar medium, using tools such as MATLAB or Mathematica for simulation and analysis. The experience culminates in a written paper and oral presentation modeled after professional academic standards, and the top 5 papers and presentations are selected by an outside panel of Boston-area academic and corporate scientists for special commendation.
10. George Mason University Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Fairfax, VA (with remote/hybrid options)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school students 15+ years old
ASSIP stands out from other programs because it offers residential, hybrid, and virtual opportunities while maintaining the rigor of a professional, research intensive. You can work with mentors from the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies or the Department of Physics and Astronomy on projects that can include analyzing exoplanet atmospheres or studying solar weather patterns. You will learn to navigate scientific databases, write code to process observational data, and use statistical tools to interpret your results. ASSIP scholars can contribute to research published in major scientific journals or presented at scientific conferences, such as the American Astronomical Society Division of Planetary Science (DPS) Conference.
11. Northwestern University REACH at CIERA
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: $2,500 for the core program + $1,500 for REACH Further
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15 – July 2 or July 6 – 24 (core program) | July 6 – 24 or July 27 – August 14 (REACH Further 1-on-1 research projects)
Application Deadline: March 9
Eligibility: High school students
You will participate in an immersive astronomy research program at the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), learning Python programming and data analysis from the ground up. You will apply these skills to mini-research projects that mirror real scientific workflows, such as analyzing stellar evolution models or processing light curves from transient events. Although REACH at CIERA centers on astronomy and astrophysics, the program’s emphasis on computational modeling and data analysis closely mirrors the tools used in modern planetary science research. The program bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and computational application, equipping you with the specific coding libraries used by professional astronomers.
12. Department of Navy Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: Various US Navy Laboratories across the country
Cost: Fully funded; stipend of $4,000 provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by placement
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer, with exact dates varying by location
Application Deadline: November 1
Eligibility: Rising 10th through 12th graders who are U.S. citizens and at least 16 years old by the internship start date
You will work as an apprentice in one of 34 Department of Defense laboratories, with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in D.C., offering a specific focus on Space Science. You might be tasked with analyzing solar flare data from the Parker Solar Probe, modeling ionospheric disturbances that affect satellite communications, or developing algorithms for spacecraft guidance systems. This is a professional research environment where you will learn to navigate the intersection of theoretical astrophysics and national security applications, often utilizing high-performance computing clusters to process mission data.
13. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program
Location: Various AFRL sites (e.g., Kirtland AFB, NM; Wright-Patterson AFB, OH)
Cost: Fully funded, and you earn a weekly stipend based on local pay rates for the chosen location
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by placement
Dates: Summer; specific dates vary by location and project
Application Deadline: January 10
Eligibility: High school students who are 16+ years old, U.S. citizens with at least a 3.0 GPA
As an AFRL Scholar, you will work on defense-related research that often overlaps with space science, such as satellite orbital dynamics, space weather effects on electronics, or advanced materials for aerospace applications. You will gain exposure to government research protocols and to specialized engineering software and laboratory hardware not available in academic settings. The mentorship focuses on applied physics and engineering, providing a practical perspective on how planetary and space science principles are utilized in national security.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like planetary geology, atmospheres, astrobiology, orbital mechanics, space data analysis, and remote sensing, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source: Northwestern University Logo