Science
NASA Announces Innovative Space Exploration Projects
NASA has selected several innovative projects for Phase I of the NIAC program. These include proposals to dim sunlight using controllable dust clouds, develop optical Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) techniques for exoplanet imaging, and create resource surveys through high-speed flybys.
Coverage timeline — 5 articles
NASA
David SmithDuke University The increasing population of spacefaring vehicles and satellites motivates increasingly powerful technologies for space situational awareness (SSA). While the US space surveillance network (SSN) is able to monitor objects down to about four inches in size using,
2026-07-21 15:23 UTC
NASA
Pablo SobronSETI Institute This proposal explores a new class of reconnaissance spacecraft that map minerals from orbit using Raman spectroscopy during high-speed flybys–without landing, sample return, or extended dwell. If feasible, this concept would enable NASA to evaluate ice and ilme
2026-07-21 15:23 UTC
NASA
Paul StankusBrookhaven Science Associates The scientific goal of the proposed work will be reconstructing the image, ie resolving surface features, of an Earth-like exoplanet around a nearby star as seen in visible light. The innovation is in two stages. First, the design of a new kind of nulli
2026-07-21 15:23 UTC
NASA
Paul StankusBrookhaven Science Associates The scientific goal is to enable a new method for observing gravitational waves at low frequencies, based on the astrometric GW signature — gravitational waves passing by the Earth will cause a (very small) coordinated apparent motion of all sky
2026-07-21 15:23 UTC
NASA
Phase I Saptarshi BandyopadhyayDimming the Sun (DimSun) Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar InsolationNASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, CA 91109-80012026 Phase I David BugbyCombinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS)NASA Jet Propul
2026-07-21 15:30 UTC