NIAC 2026 Selections

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 Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, CA 91109-80012026 Phase I Anish DamodaranPS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic TechnologiesUniversity of Central FloridaOrlando, FL 32826-29332026 Phase I Artur DavoyanCoilable Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V MissionsUniversity of CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA 90024-00012026 Phase I A.C. CharaniaEARENDIL: Extended Astronaut Radioisotope-EVA in Nighttime and Deep-space Icy LandscapesZeno Power Systems, Inc.Washington, DC 20001-37012026 Phase I Daniel DrewSolid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK)University of HawaiiHonolulu, HI 96822-23032026 Phase I Gilly ElorPower-over-Fiber to Enable a Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX)Stone Aerospace, Inc.Del Valle, TX 78617-30172026 Phase I Zhaoyan LiuQuantum Wind Lidar Applications for Planetary and Earth Science MissionsNASA Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, CA 94034-00012026 Phase I Jeff NosanovOBLIVIAN: Observing Black hole LIght Via Intensity cOrrelatioNOrbital Velocity, LLCDecatur, GA 30033-41512026 Phase I Keunhan ParkPlasmon-Enhanced Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) Power Generation for Interstellar MissionsUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City 84112-11092026 Phase I Austin PhoenixECLIPSE – Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental ControlVirginia Polytechnic Institute & StateUniversity, Blacksburg, VA 24060-56052026 Phase I Marco QuadrelliPRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ SamplingNASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, CA 91109-80012026 Phase I Michael RubensteinActively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn’s Rings, Atmosphere, and MagnetosphereNorthwestern UniversityChicago Evanston, IL 60208-00012026 Phase I Benjamin SchaferPhotophoretic Tracers for Near-Space Remote Sensing at 30-100 km AltitudesUniversity of CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA 90024-00012026 Phase I David SmithRobotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational AwarenessDuke University Durham, NC 27708-99762026 Phase I Pablo Sobron SanchezInterworld Slingshot Resource SurveysSETI InstituteMountain View, CA 94043-52032026 Phase I Paul StankusMapping Alien Continents: Achieving Optical VLBI for Exoplanet ImagingBrookhaven Science AssociatesUpton NY 11973-00012026 Phase I Paul StankusPrecision Astrometry Using Optically Independent Spacecraft for Gravitational Wave DetectionBrookhaven Science Associates Upton, NY 11973-00012026 Phase I