ExoPAG Overview

The Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) is responsible for soliciting and coordinating community input into the development and execution of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP). It serves as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for soliciting and coordinating community analysis and input in support of the Exoplanet Exploration Program objectives and of their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization and for future exploration. It provides findings of analyses to the NASA Astrophysics Division Director.

• Terms of Reference
• ExoPAG Operating Procedures
• Executive Committee Membership
• Meetings
• Study Analysis Group (SAGs) and Science Interest Group (SIGs)
• Findings
• Decadal Surveys
• ExoExplorers
• Early Career Talk Applications
• Resources (Documents, Reports, Links)

Executive Committee:

ExoPAG activities and meetings are organized through an Executive Committee, selected by NASA HQ through a Dear Colleague letter. Appointments are made annually to replace members rotating off; the normal term is 3 years. If you are interested in serving on the Executive Committee, please contact the ExoPAG Executive Secretary at NASA HQ (Joshua Pepper, Exoplanet Exploration Deputy Program Scientist).

New Executive Committee members for 2025: Ian Crossfield (Chair), Aparna Bhattacharya, Renyu Hu, Avi Mandell, Ji Wang and Schuyler Wolff.

ExoPAG Community Announcements (3 April 2026)

1. Community planning for ASTRA Mission Concepts: April 9^th Q&A
   NASA is asking the community (through the PAGs) to propose the next generation of strategic mission concepts as part of the Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) initiative. This is an important opportunity to shape NASA’s priorities for the 2030s and beyond. The goal is to identify a small set (4-6 across all areas of astrophysics) of compelling, >$1B-class, mission concepts that address the most important open questions in astrophysics and that would be further studied in advance of the Astro2030 Decadal Review.
   
   This process will move quickly, so we are hosting a short presentation and community Q&A on Thursday, April 9th (9am PT, 12pm ET) to outline the overall ASTRA plan, and to give people a chance to ask questions to representatives from NASA and the ExoPAG Executive Committee. For those who cannot attend, we will also record the meeting and post it online.
   
   If you did not receive the meeting information in the ExoPAG News Announcements email, please contact exoplanet_meetings@jpl.nasa.gov
2. Community input requested: Help shape ExoPAG priorities
   As the NASA Astrophysics Division is ramping up ASTRA planning activities, the ExoPAG Executive Committee is working to ensure that we are well positioned to support the exoplanet community during this important planning period. We also want to better understand how we can most effectively serve the community more broadly through our regular activities, advocacy, and coordination efforts. We are exploring new ways to engage the community, such as virtual briefings and more regular community information sessions, and would appreciate feedback on whether these would be useful. To that end, we are seeking community input on priorities, needs, and areas where ExoPAG engagement would be most valuable.
   
   As described above and in the April 9th Q&A, NASA has recently tasked the PAGs with contributing to the ASTRA Initiative effort. ASTRA aims to develop a set of ~4-6 mission concepts by January 2027 (AAS Winter meeting) for more formal study. The NASA Astrophysics Program Offices (COR, PhysCOS, ExEP) are organizing a Community Science Workshop in September of 2026 to facilitate community discussion to identify key science gaps and mission ideas to address this science. Prior to this meeting, ExoPAG would like to have ready a preliminary set of community-informed science priorities and potential mission concept themes to help guide discussions. ExoPAG will be holding a community meeting next month (details forthcoming in a separate email) to begin high-level brainstorming; we therefore include a question at the end of the survey soliciting driving science questions and initial concept ideas.
   
   This survey should take approximately 5–10 minutes to complete. Responses from scientists at all career stages and from all types of institutions are extremely valuable. We particularly encourage participation from early career researchers.
   
   Survey link
   
   We ask that you complete the survey by April 17. Our goal is to use this feedback to help guide ExoPAG activities and ensure we are serving the needs of the full exoplanet community as effectively as possible.
   
   Thank you for your time and input.

ExoPAG News and Announcements (26 March 2026)

1. Advancement of “Science as a Service (SaaS)” for NASA and Commercial Partners Request for Information
2. Request for Information (RFI) for Lunar Science and Technology Payloads for Expanded Lunar Landing Opportunities
3. 2026 NHFP Sagan Fellows Announced 
4. Seeking Reviewers for Future NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Review Panels
5. HWO SIG Seminar (1 April 2026/1:00pm EDT/10:00am PDT)
6. Roman Microlensing Data Challenge 2026 (RMDC26)
7. Rocky Worlds DDT Data Challenge and Data Challenge Workshop — Save the Date (16-18 November 2026) 
8. HWO UK Community Workshop 24-25 June 2026
9. Cool Stars 23 Splinter Session “Connecting Cool Dwarfs’ Stellar Chemistry to Exoplanet Structure and Atmospheres": Requesting Contributing Talks (Deadline 31 March 2026)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (18 March 2026)

1. HWO SIG Seminar (1 April 2026, 1:00pm EDT/10:00am PDT)
2. Save the Date: Pre-Proposal Workshop for HWO Instrument Concept Studies Solicitation (4-5 May 2026; Free Registration opens 18 March 2006)
3. Shifting Landscapes in Astrophysics: New Frontiers to Explore with Roman (13-16 July 2026, Caltech/IPAC)
4. Save the Date – Workshop on Venus-Analogue Exoplanets (22 October 2026, Granada, Spain)
5. Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics: Space Science Week 2026 (24-26 March 2026)

ExoPAG News and Announcements - Archive

NExSS

The Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) is a research coordination network whose role is to form a cohesive community of exoplanet researchers that transcends disciplines and funding stovepipes. It is led by teams funded by NASA Research & Analysis Programs from the Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Heliophysics and Earth Science Divisions that conduct interdisciplinary exoplanet research. NExSS helps lead or facilitate white papers, workshops, conferences, science and communications working groups, and other community activities that support exoplanet research..