> ScienceNASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has selected 18 new Phase I awards worth a combined $3.2 million to fund early-stage aerospace concepts, the agency announced.
The proposals range from lunar infrastructure and Venus exploration technology to interstellar propulsion and black hole imaging.
None of the concepts are official NASA missions yet; they remain in the research and feasibility stage.
"These awards are the kinds of innovation the world needs NASA to help foster," said Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology division at NASA Headquarters.
See Also: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Know Mission & August Launch DateCover: NASA
> Science
NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has selected 18 new Phase I awards worth a combined $3.2 million to fund early-stage aerospace concepts, the agency announced. Each project receives up to $175,000 for a nine-month initial study. The proposals range from lunar infrastructure and Venus exploration technology to interstellar propulsion and black hole imaging. None of the concepts are official NASA missions yet; they remain in the research and feasibility stage.
"These awards are the kinds of innovation the world needs NASA to help foster," said Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology division at NASA Headquarters.
The 18 winners are
Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay (JPL), David Bugby (JPL), A.C. Charania (Zeno Power Systems), Anish Damodaran (University of Central Florida), Artur Davoyan (UCLA), Daniel Drew (University of Hawaii), Gilly Elor (Stone Aerospace), Zhaoyan Liu (NASA Ames), Jeff Nosanov (Orbital Velocity), Keunhan Park (University of Utah), Austin Phoenix (Virginia Tech), Marco Quadrelli (JPL), Michael Rubenstein (Northwestern), Benjamin Schafer (Rarefied Technologies), David Smith (Duke), Pablo Sobron (SETI Institute), and Paul Stankus (Brookhaven Science Associates), who received two separate awards.
Big ideas start here. 🚀
NASA's 2026 NIAC Phase I selections explore bold concepts that could shape the future of space exploration — from lunar underground explorers and advanced solar sails to new ways of studying exoplanets and Saturn's rings.
See the full list:… pic.twitter.com/eE4QeIa6Wj — NASA Technology (@NASA_Technology) July 29, 2026
Three standout concepts:
Bandyopadhyay's DimSun project would use a controllable cloud of dust particles to dim sunlight reaching Earth, a possible tool against solar radiation and warming.
Rubenstein's Northwestern team proposes a swarm of 10,000 tiny satellites to map and study Saturn's rings, atmosphere, and magnetosphere in unprecedented detail.
Charania's EARENDIL concept would embed radioisotope heat sources into astronaut suits, keeping crews warm during the Moon's nearly two-week-long lunar nights, a critical hurdle for sustained surface missions.
NIAC fellows will spend the coming months assessing feasibility before deciding whether the ideas advance to later funding phases.
Read more here.
See Also: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Know Mission & August Launch Date
Cover: NASA
