2026 NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 1 — Nuclear sensors and cave explorers

Sarah Al-Ahmed (0:03)

We're going to the 2026 NIAC Symposium, this week on Planetary Radio.

I'm Sarah Al-Ahmed of The Planetary Society, with more of the human adventure across our solar system and beyond.

This week, I'm sharing the first of two episodes from the 2026 NASA Innovative Advanced Concept Symposium, which was held in Wichita, Kansas. Some of the most exciting science in our solar system is hidden in places that we've never been able to reach. This episode is about the researchers developing bold early stage concepts that could one day take us there, with nuclear-powered sensors designed to survive the darkest, coldest places on the moon, silent flying robots for exploring karst on Titan, and a laser-powered drone tethered by fiber-optic cable that could be the first mission to enter a lava tube on the moon. Next week in part two, we'll tackle the propulsion and life support technologies that could get us to the outer solar system and beyond. Plus, our chief scientist, Bruce Betts, will join me to look forward to October 4th, when Saturn is going to be at opposition. It's also the first day of World Space Week, so we have a lot to celebrate. If you love Planetary Radio and want to stay informed about the latest space discoveries, make sure you hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcasting platform. By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode filled with new and awe-inspiring ways to know the cosmos and our place within it.

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program funds researchers to study ideas that could one day change what's possible in aerospace. These aren't incremental improvements. These are the far-out, early-stage concepts that could fundamentally reshape how we explore space. Things that mostly sound like science fiction today, but could become science fact in the decades to come. NIAC awards come in three phases. Phase one is a nine-month study to explore overall viability. Phase two develops that concept further over two years. And phase three is designed to strategically transition the most promising ideas toward NASA missions, other government agencies and commercial partners. Every year, NIAC holds a symposium where the fellows present their work. And I've had the privilege of hosting that webcast and interviewing fellows at the symposium for the past four years. This year's event was held at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, and I spoke with some truly remarkable people. First up is a team that I spoke with last year at the symposium, whose project has made it into phase two. Dr. Peter Cabauy is the CEO and co-founder of City Labs Incorporated, and Dr. Mason Peck is a former NASA chief technologist and collaborator on the project. Their phase two concept, called Autonomous Tritium Micropowered Sensors, would scatter tiny nuclear powered probes across the lunar surface. It would help us explore the places on the moon where solar power can't reach.

It's wonderful to see you guys again this year.

Peter Cabauy (3:03)

It's great to see you too.

Mason Peck (3:04)

It's great to have a phase two. We're excited.

Sarah Al-Ahmed (3:07)

It is wonderful to get to see you guys as you've advanced over the last years. For people who are not familiar with your project, Peter, can you tell us a little bit about what this project is?

Peter Cabauy (3:19)

It's about putting nuclear micropower on the surface of the moon and to be able to explore lunar permanent shot of craters and just be able to take sensing in a way that's not done with rovers, be able to spread many sensors across the lunar surface and be able to get that data reliably.

Sarah Al-Ahmed (3:38)

And just because I forgot to do this, this is Peter Cabauy. He is the CEO and co-founder of City Labs Incorporated and Mason Peck, who is a collaborator on the project, also former chief NASA technologist. So they have a lot to say about this project. So you're going to try to put these sensors on the moon. But in the last year, there's been a lot of advancement in the things that you guys have been doing, including the launch of BOR, which is the first commercial nuclear satellite. Can you tell us a little bit about what's happened in the last year?

Mason Peck (4:09)

Sure. I will say that the BOR launch has been super exciting.

That represents, as you said, the first commercial nuclear spacecraft. And by commercial, we mean with a license that could allow these very small nuclear power sources to be available very democratically and to inform how we do space science. But the nuclear part of it really is City Labs and Peter's domain.

Sarah Al-Ahmed (4:32)

How has this informed what you're doing with this NIAC project?