A NASA anunciou os pesquisadores e propostas aprovados para a fase I do programa NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2026. Ao todo, 17 estudos de tecnologias espaciais de ponta receberão financiamento inicial para desenvolvimento de conceitos que podem viabilizar futuras missões.
Lista completa dos selecionados
Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay – “Dimming the Sun (DimSun) Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar Insolation”, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Califórnia.
David Bugby – “Combinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS)”, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Califórnia.
Anish Damodaran – “PS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic Technologies”, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Flórida.
Artur Davoyan – “Coilable Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V Missions”, University of California, Los Angeles, Califórnia.
A.C. Charania – “EARENDIL: Extended Astronaut Radioisotope-EVA in Nighttime and Deep-space Icy Landscapes”, Zeno Power Systems, Washington, Distrito de Colúmbia.
Daniel Drew – “Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK)”, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Havaí.
Gilly Elor – “Power-over-Fiber to Enable a Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX)”, Stone Aerospace, Del Valle, Texas.
Zhaoyan Liu – “Quantum Wind Lidar Applications for Planetary and Earth Science Missions”, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Califórnia.
Jeff Nosanov – “OBLIVIAN: Observing Black hole LIght Via Intensity cOrrelatioN”, Orbital Velocity, Decatur, Geórgia.
Keunhan Park – “Plasmon-Enhanced Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) Power Generation for Interstellar Missions”, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Austin Phoenix – “ECLIPSE – Efficient Variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental Control”, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virgínia.
Imagem: nasa.gov
Marco Quadrelli – “PRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling”, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Califórnia.
Michael Rubenstein – “Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn’s Rings, Atmosphere, and Magnetosphere”, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Benjamin Schafer – “Photophoretic Tracers for Near-Space Remote Sensing at 30-100 km Altitudes”, University of California, Los Angeles, Califórnia.
David Smith – “Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational Awareness”, Duke University, Durham, Carolina do Norte.
Pablo Sobron Sanchez – “Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys”, SETI Institute, Mountain View, Califórnia.
Paul Stankus – “Mapping Alien Continents: Achieving Optical VLBI for Exoplanet Imaging”, Brookhaven Science Associates, Upton, Nova York.
Paul Stankus – “Precision Astrometry Using Optically Independent Spacecraft for Gravitational Wave Detection”, Brookhaven Science Associates, Upton, Nova York.
Cada investigador receberá apoio financeiro limitado a estudos preliminares durante o ano fiscal de 2026. O NIAC busca ideias revolucionárias que, embora em estágio inicial, tenham potencial de transformar missões de exploração espacial no futuro.
Com informações de NASA
