Nuclear sensors and cave explorers

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.

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