Partnerships with APL for NASA Astrophysics SMEX Exoplanet Missions

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL) aims to serve the research community by leveraging new partnerships to advance missions targeting the exoplanet science priorities of NASA’s Astrophysics program. We are reaching out to you and your colleagues with an opportunity to develop concepts and to encourage potential partnerships with APL for future astrophysics competitive missions, beginning with the upcoming 2025 Small Explorer (SMEX) opportunity. The deadline for responding to APL is 10 May 2024. As the implementing institution for the New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe, DART, and Dragonfly missions, we are committed to advancing the nation’s space science program through innovation. 

We expect that NASA’s Science Mission Directorate will release an Announcement of Opportunity for SMEX missions in the Astrophysics Division in 2025. In anticipation of this, APL is beginning an “Innovation Call” process to identify novel science mission concepts for this solicitation. APL plans to conduct mission formulation implementation studies for one or more concepts that result from this call, complete with scientific, engineering, and cost evaluations similar to the NASA proposal evaluation process. Note that we followed a similar process in recent NASA Heliophysics Explorer opportunities, resulting in bids of multiple mission concepts led by external Principal Investigators (PIs).

APL’s process for this Innovation Call will pursue the maturation of ideas without prejudice or commitment to who the PI (and other mission leadership positions) will ultimately be. Internally and externally led concepts will be treated the same way and reviewed together. Participation in the Innovation Call process does not constitute a commitment by APL to proceed with the concept in a future competition. The Innovation Call is the beginning of the mission formulation process that leads to a future APL bid portfolio.

The first step of the Innovation Call is a two-page abstract, slightly longer than an abstract for key community conferences. The abstract should focus on the compelling science of the mission concept and can include one or more figures that enhance the description. This year, we are looking for concepts that can realistically be implemented in the SMEX mission cost class (expected to be ~$150 – $200 million). You are encouraged to review the missions that NASA has flown in the SMEX program to gain a sense of what can be achieved. 

We hope that you consider this exciting opportunity, and we encourage you and your colleagues to work with our APL scientists to submit a step 1 abstract. If you are interested in responding to this Call, we request that you contact Dipak Srinivasan (SFMA Formulation Area Manager) by 26 April with an indication of your intent to propose, a high-level summary of your idea, and any questions that you have. Dipak can answer any institutional questions and outline the path forward to submit a step 1 science abstract by the deadline of Friday, 10 May.