The six-month competition aims to produce advanced swarming technology that can translate voice commands into digital instructions and run multiple drones, the report said.
Last month's medical evacuation was NASA's first in 65 years of human spaceflight. One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their hasty return.
Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully transported an international crew of four astronauts, including two Americans and one Russian, to the International Space Station.
The International Space Station is back to full strength with the arrival of four new astronauts. SpaceX delivered the U.S., French and Russian astronauts to the orbiting lab on Saturday, a day after launching them.