The smithsonian astrophysical observatory (SAO) proposes to continue responsibility for the overall management of the transitingexoplanet survey satellite (TESS) follow-up observing program (TFOP)…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center awarded the Smithsonian Institution, doing business as Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, $508,758.89 on January 1, 2026, under the Science program (CFDA 43.001) to continue overall management of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Follow-Up Observing Program Working Group during TESS Extended Mission 3.

The TESS Follow-Up Observing Program Working Group comprises more than 700 members from the international astronomical community who provide key observations for validation and characterization of transiting planet candidates initially identified using TESS data products. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory will coordinate this network of exoplanet researchers throughout the performance period.

The award obligates $508,758.89 and runs from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028. Work is performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This project grant supports NASA's Strategic Goal 1 to expand human knowledge through scientific discoveries, within the Science Mission Directorate's portfolio of astrophysics research that explores the universe from the search for planets to the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe itself.

The smithsonian astrophysical observatory (SAO) proposes to continue responsibility for the overall management of the transitingexoplanet survey satellite (TESS) follow-up observing program (TFOP) working group (WG) during TESS extended mission 3