Exoplanet Program Science
The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) carries out science and technology research tasks that advance NASA's science goal to “Discover and study planets around other stars, characterize their properties, and identify candidates that could harbor life.”
In regular consultation with the outside community, the NASA ExEP provides new observing opportunities with astronomical telescopes, access to archival science datasets, public and community engagement with the latest exoplanet science results, studies of new exoplanet mission concepts, technology development needed to enable new exoplanet missions, and strategic planning for the future. Program scientists work directly in all of these activities to achieve the most effective outcomes for the benefit of the science community.
NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI): The NExScI is a science operations and analysis service organization for NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program projects and the scientists and engineers that use them. The NExScI facilitates the timely and successful execution of exoplanet science by providing software infrastructure and consulting to the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program projects and their user communities. NExScI administers and schedules NASA's portion of time on the Keck telescopes; develops and operates the NASA Exoplanet Archive; coordinates the Exoplanet Follow-Up Observing Program (ExoFOP) to facilitate community collaboration in follow-up studies of exoplanet candidates; runs the Sagan Summer Workshop; and additional projects in the Exoplanet Exploration Program.
Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG): 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.
Program Science Leadership
NASA HQ Astrophysics Division:
Dr. Hannah Jang-Condell, Program Scientist
Dr. John Wisniewski, Deputy Program Scientist
JPL Exoplanet Exploration Program Office:
Dr. Karl Stapelfeldt, Program Chief Scientist
Dr. Eric Mamajek, Deputy Program Chief Scientist
Science Gap List (2025)
Mission Star List for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (2023)
- Documentation PDF
- NASA Exoplanet Archive: Update on HWO Precursor Science Target List
- Online Table
- Community Seminar Slides
(March 1, 2023)
The Search for Habitable Worlds
The Target Star Catalog is a guide to intriguing nearby stars that astronomers want to study with future missions, such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will be built specifically to find and observe Earth-like exoplanets, to search for signs of life.
Browse the Target Star Catalog
Managed by the Exoplanet Exploration Program and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA’s Astrophysics Division
