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Planetary Radio • Sep 30, 2026

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

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On This Episode

Peter cabauy portrait

Peter Cabauy

CEO and Co-Founder, City Labs Incorporated

Mason peck portrait

Mason Peck

Former NASA Chief Technologist for NASA

Daniel drew portrait

Daniel Drew

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Gilly Elor

Physics Lead, Stone Aerospace

Bill stone portrait

Bill Stone

Founder, Stone Aerospace

Bruce betts portrait hq library

Bruce Betts

Chief Scientist / LightSail Program Manager for The Planetary Society

Sarah al ahmed headshot

Sarah Al-Ahmed

Planetary Radio Host and Producer for The Planetary Society

Some of the most exciting science in our Solar System is hidden in places we've never been able to reach. In this episode, Sarah Al-Ahmed shares three conversations from the 2026 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)Symposium at Wichita State University, all about the bold, early-stage concepts being developed to explore them.

First, Peter Cabauy, CEO and co-founder of City Labs Incorporated, and Mason Peck, former NASA Chief Technologist and collaborator on the project, discuss their Phase II concept, Autonomous Tritium Micropowered Sensors, tiny nuclear-powered probes designed to survive and operate in the permanently shadowed craters of the Moon and beyond. Then, Daniel Drew, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, introduces SPARK, a Phase I concept for silent, solid-state flying robots that could explore caves on Saturn's moon Titan. Finally, Gilly Elor, physics lead at Stone Aerospace, and Bill Stone, founder of Stone Aerospace, walk us through LUX, the Lunar Underground Explorer, a Phase I concept for a laser-powered, fiber-tethered drone that could be the first mission to enter a cave on another world. Plus, Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, joins Sarah for What's Up, where they preview Saturn at opposition and the start of World Space Week on October 4th.

Autonomous Tritium Micropowered Sensors
Autonomous Tritium Micropowered Sensors A City Labs NanoTritium battery and sensor board are shown next to a quarter for scale. This hardware is at the heart of a Phase II NIAC project that would scatter hundreds of these tiny nuclear-powered probes across the Moon's permanently shadowed craters, where solar power can't reach. The project was presented at the 2026 NIAC Symposium.Image: Peter Cabauy
SPARK aerobot artist's depiction
SPARK aerobot artist's depiction This graphic depicts the SPARK aerobot concept, a meter-scale sphere covered in atmospheric ion thrusters, alongside a cross-section showing how it would navigate caves beneath the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. SPARK is a Phase I NIAC study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and was presented at the 2026 NIAC Symposium.Image: Daniel Drew
LUX mission artist's depiction
LUX mission artist's depiction In this concept illustration, a rover on the lunar surface feeds laser power through a fiber optic tether to the LUX drone as it descends into a lunar skylight. This Phase I NIAC concept from Stone Aerospace could enable the first robotic exploration of a cave on another world and was presented at the 2026 NIAC Symposium.Image: Stone Aerospace, Inc.

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