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Received — 11 August 2026 ⏭

AO Astrophysics Explorers Program 2026 SMEX Amended

✇NASA Science
By: Patricia Tyler
10 August 2026 at 22:08

Announcement of Opportunity Astrophysics Explorers Program 2026 Small Explorer (SMEX) Amended Text Released

10 August 2026

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) announces the release of Amendment #1 to the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to solicit Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations for the Small Explorer (SMEX) opportunity under the Astrophysics Explorers Program on the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). To find the full amended AO text and a copy of Amendment #1 visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/, and select “Solicitations” at the top of the page, and on the next page in the search box, input the number “NNH26ZDA011O” or use the direct short URL https://go.nasa.gov/APSMEX26. In the event of any lapse in NASA operations, please visit NSPIRES for further information.

Changes within the AO text are noted by using bold for new text and strikethrough for deleted text. The proposal due date, September 9, 2026, remains unchanged. For a summary of the changes made to the AO, locate the Amendment #1 document on the right side of the AO landing page on NSPIRES. Additionally, the official Question and Answers (Q&A) document has been updated on the Science Office for Mission Assessments (SOMA) web site at https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/APSMEX26/SMEX.

All new questions or comments about the Astrophysics SMEX 2026 AO shall be addressed via email to Dan Moses, APSMEX26 Lead Program Scientist, dan.moses@nasa.gov; Hannah Jang-Condell, APSMEX26 Deputy Program Scientist, hannah.jang-condell@nasa.gov; and Omar Torres, Lead Acquisition Manager for the 2026 Astrophysics SMEX AO, SOMA omar.torres@nasa.gov using subject line “APSMEX26” to be properly routed. The Q&A period for the SMEX 2026 AO ends 14 days before the proposal due date.

Any costs incurred in preparing a submission in response to this notice or the full APSMEX26 AO are solely the responsibility of the submitter.

NASA Science

NSPIRES

NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System

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Against a black background, a peculiar galaxy is in the center and takes up most of the frame. This asymmetrical object has distorted spiral arms that extend to the left, above, and to the lower right. The galaxy’s arms are light orange and are not smooth or solid in texture, instead resembling blots and streaks of paint. The galaxy’s distorted spiral arms are overlaid by a light blue ridge of blurry blotches, which are brightest and heaviest in the center and fainter toward the left, ending before the orange areas. The blue blotches also extend to the bottom at the center and faintly toward the top center, but are not seen toward the right. A bright, almost-white orange point is near the center right and has a hazy halo surrounding it, taking up about a tenth of the image. Over the majority of the image is a semi-transparent, elliptical-shaped area that has a white, fuzzy glow.

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Angled from the upper left corner to the lower right corner is a cone-shaped orange-red cloud known as Herbig-Haro 49/50. This feature takes up about three-fourths of the length of this angle. The upper left end of this feature has a translucent, rounded end. The conical feature widens slightly from the rounded end at the upper right down to the lower right. Along the cone there are additional rounded edges, like edges of a wave, and intricate foamy-like details, as well as a clearer view of the black background of space. In the upper left, overlapping with the rounded end of Herbig-Haro 49/50, is a background spiral galaxy with a concentrated blue center that fades outward to blend with red spiral arms. The background of space is speckled with some white stars and smaller, more numerous, fainter white galaxies throughout.

The post AO Astrophysics Explorers Program 2026 SMEX Amended appeared first on NASA Science.

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