Keck Institute for Space Studies

09/04/2026

🚀 The Keck Institute for Space Studiesaltech final report “A New Era of Space Science: Actionable and Affordable Mission Plans” is now available.

The report lays out pathways to make ambitious Moon & Mars science missions more affordable and achievable.

📖 Read the full report: https://bit.ly/New-Era-report

08/29/2026

Read the latest KISS newsletter to learn about our upcoming fall short courses, KISS affiliate graduates, recent symposium, steering committee updates and more!

Available at: https://mailchi.mp/kiss.caltech.edu/kiss-q3

08/11/2026

So wonderful to see our Keck Institute for Space Studies affiliates shine at the 2026 SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics conference in Denmark.

They are going out into the world, sharing their research and shaping the future of space science!🔭

If you're presenting KISS-related work at upcoming conferences, let us know!

08/11/2026

KISS Affiliate Spotlight: Meet Gaurav Waratkar!

Gaurav is a PMA postdoc developing next-generation X-ray detectors for future space missions allowing deeper studies of the X-ray universe.

To learn more about his research, visit: https://kiss.caltech.edu/people/gaurav_waratkar.html

08/03/2026

Last week, Keck Institute for Space Studies and Caltech's Brinson Exploration Hub convened experts from industry, academia, & NASA to discuss paradigm-shifting ideas, affordability improvement measures, & personal actions to shape a new era of space science.
Thanks to all involved!

07/31/2026

07/31/2026

The Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) was established at Caltech in January 2008 with an initial grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation. The Institute is a "think and do tank," that is shaping the future of space exploration, science, and technology.

This unique organization links the study elements of a think tank with the implementation elements of designing and developing prototypes. The Institute is centered on the intellectual, instrumentation, and research strengths of the Caltech Campus and JPL — and augments those strengths by inviting external experts from academia, government, and industry to engage in its programs.

07/31/2026

Congratulations to KISS affiliate, Satvik Kumar!

Announcing the winners of our $30,000 Science Olympiad Alumni Research (SOAR) Grants, Satvik Kumar from Caltech and Harrison Ngue from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Medical School. The grants made by the Science Olympiad USA Foundation will help Satvik create new algorithms to advance the long-term reliability of autonomous systems integrated into transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing and healthcare, and will support Harrison’s work using chemical tags at exact sites on RNA inside cells, aiming for improvements in cancer therapies. We’re also happy to announce our $15,000 SOAR Grants to Brian Amaro from Stanford University and Amelie Raz from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) fund the creation of an open-source database of all observed rock formations in the Solar System and research into engineering stem cells for applications like fertility treatments, tumor suppression and tissue regeneration. We are thrilled to support this groundbreaking work from our outstanding alums! Will you be next? Read the summaries here: https://www.soinc.org/usafoundation

07/31/2026

KISS Affiliate Spotlight: Meet Kimberly Paragas!

Kimberly is a GPS graduate student and the PI of a James Webb Space Telescope program aimed at characterizing the airless rocky exoplanet, LHS 3844 b.

To learn more about her research, visit: https://www.kiss.caltech.edu/people/kimberly_paragas.html

07/31/2026

KISS Affiliate Spotlight: Meet Federico Benazzo!

Federico is a EAS graduate student at Caltech developing ultra-thin carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polymers for deployable space structures.

To learn more about his research, visit: https://www.kiss.caltech.edu/people/federico_benazzo.html