[NASA] NASA Awards 2025 Innovative Technology Concept Studies

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A collage of artist concepts highlighting the novel approaches proposed by the 2025 ***** awardees for possible future missions.

Credit: NASA/Left to Right: Saurabh Vilekar, Marco Quadrelli, Selim Shahriar, Gyula Greschik, Martin Bermudez, Ryan Weed, Ben Hockman, Robert Hinshaw, Christine Gregg, Ryan Benson, Michael Hecht

NASA selected 15 visionary ideas for its ***** (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) program which develops concepts to transform future missions for the benefit of all. Chosen from companies and institutions across the United States, the 

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represent a wide range of aerospace concepts.

The ***** program nurtures innovation by funding early-stage technology concept studies for future consideration and potential commercialization. The combined award for the 2025 concepts is a maximum of $2.625M in grants to evaluate technologies that could enable future aerospace missions.

“Our next steps and giant leaps rely on innovation, and the concepts born from ***** can radically change how we explore deep space, work in low Earth orbit, and protect our home planet” said Clayton Turner, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington. “From developing

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through the oceans of other worlds to growing space

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, this program continues to change the possible.”

The newly selected concepts include feasibility studies to explore the Sun’s influence on our solar system, build sustainable lunar habitats from glass, explore Saturn’s icy moon, and more. All ***** studies are in the early stages of conceptual development and are not considered official NASA missions.

Ryan Weed, Helicity Space LLC in Pasadena, California, proposes a 

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a compact and scalable fusion propulsion system, that could enable rapid, multi-directional exploration of the heliosphere and beyond, providing unprecedented insights on how the Sun interacts with our solar system and interstellar space. Demonstrating the feasibility of fusion propulsion could also benefit deep space exploration including crewed missions to Mars.

Martin Bermudez, Skyeports LLC in Sacramento, California, presents the concept of constructing a large-scale, lunar glass habitat in a low-gravity environment. Nicknamed

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this approach involves melting lunar glass compounds to create a large spherical shell structure. This idea offers a promising solution for establishing self-sustaining, large-scale habitats on the lunar surface.

Justin Yim, University of Illinois in Urbana, proposes a jumping robot appropriately named

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as a novel robotic sampling concept to explore Enceladus, a small, icy moon of Saturn that’s covered in geysers, or jets. The LEAP robots could enable collection of pristine, ocean-derived material directly from Enceladus’s jets and measurement of particle properties across multiple jets by traveling from one to another.

“All advancements begin as an idea. The ***** program allows NASA to invest in unique ideas enabling innovation and supporting the nation’s aerospace economy,” said John Nelson, program executive for NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts in Washington.

The ***** researchers, known as fellows, will investigate the fundamental premise of their concepts, identify potential challenges, and look for opportunities to bring these concepts to life.

In addition to the projects mentioned above, the following selectees received 2025 ***** Phase I grants:

• Michael Hecht, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge:
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• Selim Shahriar, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois:
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• Phillip Ansell, University of Illinois, Urbana:
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• Ryan Benson, ThinkOrbital Inc., Boulder, Colorado:
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• Gyula Greschik, Tentguild Engineering Co, Boulder, Colorado:
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• Marco Quadrelli, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California:
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• Ben Hockman, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California:
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• Kimberly Weaver, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland:
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• John Mather NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland:
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• Robert Hinshaw, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley:
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• Christine Gregg, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley:
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• Saurabh Vilekar, Precision Combustion, North Haven, Connecticut:
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NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the ***** program, as it is responsible for developing the agency’s new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities to achieve its current and future missions.

To learn more about *****, visit:

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-end-

Jasmine Hopkins
Headquarters, Washington
321-432-4624
*****@*****.tld

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Last Updated

Jan 10, 2025

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Jessica Taveau

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