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NIAC 2026 Selections

Loura Hall

Jul 21, 2026

Article

A collage of artist concepts highlighting the novel approaches proposed by the 2026 NIAC awardees for possible future missions.

NASA/Left to Right: Keunhan Park, Michael Rubenstein, Austin Phoenix, Benjamin Schafer, A.C. Charania, Gilly Elor, Pablo Sobron, Marco Quadrelli, Daniel Drew, Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, Jeff Nosanov, Anish Damodaran 

Phase I

Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay Dimming the Sun (DimSun) Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar Insolation NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, CA 91109-8001 2026 Phase I

David Bugby Combinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, CA 91109-8001 2026 Phase I

Anish Damodaran PS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic Technologies University of Central Florida Orlando, FL  32826-2933 2026 Phase I

Artur Davoyan Coilable Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V Missions University of California Los Angeles, CA 90024-0001 2026 Phase I

A.C. Charania EARENDIL: Extended Astronaut Radioisotope-EVA in Nighttime and Deep-space Icy Landscapes Zeno Power Systems, Inc. Washington, DC 20001-3701 2026 Phase I

Daniel Drew Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK) University of Hawaii Honolulu, HI 96822-2303 2026 Phase I

Gilly Elor Power-over-Fiber to Enable a Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX) Stone Aerospace, Inc. Del Valle, TX 78617-3017 2026 Phase I

Zhaoyan Liu Quantum Wind Lidar Applications for Planetary and Earth Science Missions NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94034-0001 2026 Phase I

Jeff Nosanov OBLIVIAN: Observing Black hole LIght Via Intensity cOrrelatioN Orbital Velocity, LLC Decatur, GA 30033-4151 2026 Phase I

Keunhan Park Plasmon-Enhanced Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) Power Generation for Interstellar Missions University of Utah Salt Lake City 84112-1109 2026 Phase I

Austin Phoenix ECLIPSE – Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental Control Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060-5605 2026 Phase I

Marco Quadrelli PRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, CA 91109-8001 2026 Phase I

Michael Rubenstein Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn’s Rings, Atmosphere, and Magnetosphere Northwestern University Chicago Evanston, IL 60208-0001 2026 Phase I

Benjamin Schafer Photophoretic Tracers for Near-Space Remote Sensing at 30-100 km Altitudes University of California Los Angeles, CA 90024-0001 2026 Phase I

David   Smith Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational Awareness Duke University   Durham, NC 27708-9976 2026 Phase I

Pablo Sobron Sanchez Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys SETI Institute Mountain View, CA 94043-5203 2026 Phase I

Paul Stankus Mapping Alien Continents: Achieving Optical VLBI for Exoplanet Imaging Brookhaven Science Associates Upton NY 11973-0001 2026 Phase I

Paul Stankus Precision Astrometry Using Optically Independent Spacecraft for Graviational Wave Detection Brookhaven Science Associates Upton, NY 11973-0001 2026 Phase I

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Last Updated

Jul 21, 2026

Editor

Loura Hall

Related Terms

• NIAC Studies
• NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program
• Research and Technology Mission Directorate

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