NASA is investing in several innovative projects that could revolutionize space exploration and astronomy. One of these projects is the Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths (GO-LoW), a mega-constellation low-frequency radio telescope that consists of thousands of autonomous SmallSats. This technology can measure magnetic fields emitted from exoplanets and during the cosmic dark ages, led by Mary Knapp at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Another project funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is the Radioisotope Thermoradiative Cell Power Generator. This technology aims to explore new in-space power sources that could operate more efficiently than current NASA power generators. This could lead to smaller exploration and science spacecraft in the future that can’t carry large solar or nuclear power systems. The project is led by Stephen Polly at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
A lunar railway system called FLOAT: Flexible Levitation on a Track is also being developed to provide reliable, autonomous, and efficient payload transport on the Moon. This rail system could support the daily operations of a sustainable lunar base as early as the 2030s, led by Ethan Schaler at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
NASA’s ScienceCraft for Outer Planet Exploration project aims to distribute Quantum Dot-based sensors throughout the surface of a solar sail, allowing it to function as a cutting-edge imager. By leveraging quantum physics, NASA hopes to take scientific measurements by studying how the dots absorb light. This technology would enable lighter and more cost-effective spacecraft to carry imagers across the solar system, led by Mahmooda Sultana at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Finally, NASA’s NIAC program, funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, is responsible for developing new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities to achieve the agency’s present and future missions. To learn more about the NIAC program and the 2024 Phase II studies, visit: