NASA’s Future Space Exploration: Revolutionizing Astronomy with the Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths and More Efficient In-Space Power Sources

NASA is working on several cutting-edge projects that have the potential to revolutionize the way it conducts astronomy and space exploration. One such project is the Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths (GO-LoW), which is 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 project that NASA is investing in is the Radioisotope Thermoradiative Cell Power Generator, which explores new in-space power sources with the potential for higher efficiencies than NASA’s current power generators. This technology 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 is also developing a lunar railway system called FLOAT (Flexible Levitation on a Track) at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. This rail system aims to provide reliable, autonomous, and efficient payload transport on the Moon, enabling daily operations of a sustainable lunar base as soon as the 2030s. Ethan Schaler leads FLOAT at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In addition to these projects, NASA’s Mahmooda Sultana at its Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is leading ScienceCraft for Outer Planet Exploration, which 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.

Finally, NASA’s NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) 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 2024 Phase II studies, visit: