NASA's Advanced Concepts program (NIAC) chooses several advanced technology ideas to study to see how they could benefit science and space exploration. The most successful ideas are funded for Phase II, allowing researchers to flesh them out more fully. NASA announced six ideas that received Phase II funding, including a lunar railway system, fluid-based telescopes, pulsed plasma rockets, low-frequency space telescopes, new space power, and quantum dot solar sails.

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/nasa-doubles-down-advances-six-innovative-tech-concepts-to-new-phase/