NIAC 2026 Selections
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,...
NASA has announced a new round of selections under its NIAC program, highlighting early-stage concepts that span planetary engineering, life-support resilience, and advanced space observatory technology.
According to a monitored public feed from NASA Breaking News, the 2026 Phase I selections include “Dimming the Sun (DimSun) Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar Insolation,” led by Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The same feed also lists “Combinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS),” proposed by David Bugby, also from JPL. Another Phase I project named in the feed is “PS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic Technologies,” led by Anish Damodaran at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
NIAC, short for NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program, supports early concept studies that explore ideas far beyond current mission design. The projects identified in the feed suggest a broad mix of exploration goals: one looks at whether a controllable dust cloud could be used to reduce the amount of solar energy reaching a target area, another focuses on systems designed to survive and adapt to Venus-like conditions, and a third aims to improve submillimeter space interferometry through photonic technologies.
The feed snippet does not provide further technical detail, funding totals, or project timelines beyond the Phase I designation and institutional affiliations. Still, the selections point to the kind of speculative research NIAC is known for, where NASA backs studies that test whether highly ambitious ideas could one day become practical spaceflight technologies.
The presence of both NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers and a university-based team in the same selection list underscores the collaborative range of the program. NIAC often brings together ideas from across NASA centers, academia, and the broader aerospace research community, with an emphasis on concepts that could expand future exploration capabilities if they prove feasible.
This report is based on a monitored public feed from NASA Breaking News and reflects the information available in the posted NIAC 2026 selections announcement.
Source: NASA Breaking News - https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/
