NASA has several exciting projects in the works that have the potential to revolutionize space exploration. One such project is the Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths (GO-LoW), led by Mary Knapp at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This mega-constellation low-frequency radio telescope uses thousands of autonomous SmallSats to measure magnetic fields emitted from exoplanets and the cosmic dark ages.
Another cutting-edge technology being explored by NASA is the Radioisotope Thermoradiative Cell Power Generator, which could enable small exploration and science spacecraft in the future that are unable to carry bulky solar or nuclear power systems. The study is being led by Stephen Polly at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is also working on a lunar railway system called FLOAT: Flexible Levitation on a Track. This rail system could provide reliable, autonomous, and efficient payload transport on the Moon, supporting daily operations of a sustainable lunar base as soon as the 2030s. Ethan Schaler leads this project at JPL.
In addition to these technologies, NASA’s ScienceCraft for Outer Planet Exploration aims to distribute Quantum Dot-based sensors across the surface of a solar sail to create an innovative imager. By leveraging quantum physics to take scientific measurements through light absorption, this technology allows for lighter and more cost-effective spacecraft to carry imagers across the solar system. NASA’s Mahmooda Sultana leads this project at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The NIAC program, funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, is responsible for developing new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities to achieve current and future missions. To learn more about NIAC and its Phase II studies scheduled for 2024, visit
