The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is a NASA program for development of far reaching, long term advanced concepts by "creating breakthroughs, radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts". It funds work on revolutionary aeronautics and space concepts that can dramatically impact how NASA develops and conducts its missions. The program operated under the name NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts from 1998 until 2007 (managed by the Universities Space Research Association on behalf of NASA), and was reestablished in 2011 under the name NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts and continues to the present.

History

The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) was a NASA-funded program that was operated by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) for NASA from 1998 until its closure on 31 August 2007. NIAC was to serve as "an independent open forum, a high-level point of entry to NASA for an external community of innovators, and an external capability for analysis and definition of advanced aeronautics and space concepts to complement the advanced concept activities conducted within NASA." NIAC sought proposals for revolutionary aeronautics and space concepts to dramatically impact how NASA developed and conducted its missions. NIAC provided a highly visible, recognizable, and high-level entry point for outside thinkers and researchers. It encouraged proposers to think decades into the future in pursuit of concepts that would "leapfrog" the evolution of contemporary aerospace systems. These concepts were expected to be based on sound scientific principles and attainable within a 10 to 40-year time frame. NIAC received a total of 1,309 proposals and awarded 126 Phase I grants and 42 Phase II contracts for a total value of $27.3 million from February 1998 to 2007. NASA announced on March 1, 2011 that the NIAC concept would be re-established at NASA with similar goals, maintaining the acronym NIAC.

NIAC 1998–2007

Studies funded by the original NIAC 1998–2007 include

Closing of the Original NIAC

On July 2, 2007, NIAC announced that "NASA, faced with the constraints of achieving the Vision for Space Exploration, has made the difficult decision to terminate NIAC, which has been funded by NASA since inception. Effective August 31, 2007, the original NIAC organization ceased operations.

Revised NIAC

Following the termination of the original NIAC program, Congress requested a review of the NIAC program by the United States National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences. The review was done in 2009, and concluded that in order to achieve its mission, NASA needs "a mechanism to investigate visionary, far-reaching advanced concepts," and recommended that NIAC, or a NIAC-like program, should be reestablished. Consistent with this recommendation, it was announced on March 1, 2011 that the NIAC was to be revived with similar goals leading to the establishment in 2011 of a project within the NASA Office of Chief Technologist, the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, maintaining the acronym NIAC. It is now part of the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). According to Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's Space Technology Program, "Through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, NASA is taking the long-term view of technological investment and the advancement that is essential for accomplishing our missions. We are inventing the ways in which next-generation aircraft and spacecraft will change the world and inspiring Americans to take bold steps."

2011 NIAC Project Selections

The revived NIAC, with the slightly-changed name "NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts," funded thirty phase-I studies in 2011 to investigate advanced concepts.

2012 NIAC Project Selections

In August 2012, NIAC announced selection of 18 new phase-I proposals, along with Phase-II grants for continuation of 10 projects selected in earlier solicitations. These include many projects ranging from Landsailing rovers on Venus to schemes to explore under the ice of Europa. Phase I projects selected were:

2013 NIAC Project Selections

In 2013 NIAC conducted a third solicitation for proposals, with projects to start in the summer of 2013. NASA selected 12 phase-I projects with a wide range of imaginative concepts, including 3-D printing of biomaterials, such as arrays of cells; using galactic rays to map the insides of asteroids; and an "eternal flight" platform that could hover in Earth's atmosphere, potentially providing better imaging, Wi-Fi, power generation, and other applications. They selected 6 phase II projects, including photonic laser thrusters, extreme sample return, and innovative spherical robots designed for planetary exploration. Phase I selections were:

2014 NIAC Project Selections

In 2013, NIAC conducted a fourth solicitation, and selected 12 projects for Phase-1 studies and 5 projects to continue on to phase II projects. Projects selected include a study of hibernation for astronauts and a submarine operating on Saturn's moon Titan 2014 Phase I selections were:

2015 NIAC Project Selections

The 2015 Phase-1 projects included a hopping vehicle to visit Triton and others, and seven phase two projects. Phase I projects selected were: In addition, seven projects were selected for continuation into Phase II:

2016 NIAC Project Selections

Phase I projects selected were: In addition, eight projects were selected for continuation into Phase II:

2017 NIAC Project Selections

The fifteen projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, seven projects were selected for continuation into Phase II:

2018 NIAC Project Selections

The sixteen projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, nine projects were selected for continuation into Phase II:

2019 NIAC Project Selections

The twelve projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, six projects were selected for continuation into Phase II: Also, two projects were selected for Phase III:

2020 NIAC Project Selections

The sixteen projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, six projects were selected for continuation into Phase II: Also, one project was selected for continuation into Phase III:

2021 NIAC Project Selections

The sixteen projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, six projects were selected for continuation into Phase II: Also, one project was selected for continuation into Phase III:

2022 NIAC Project Selections

The twelve projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, five projects were selected for continuation into Phase II: Also, one project was selected for continuation into Phase III:

2023 NIAC Project Selections

The fourteen projects selected for Phase I were: In addition, six projects were selected for continuation into Phase II: No projects were selected for continuation into Phase III.

2024 NIAC Project Selections

The thirteen projects selected for Phase I were: