The Exoplanet Exploration Program has been established to conduct a series of space flight missions to characterize the planets around the nearest stars, and to provide support to the supporting research and technology efforts to enable these missions.

The first space mission operating in the Program is the Kepler transit observation mission. Future missions will be selected considering the recommendations of Astro2010, the National Research Council’s decadal survey of astronomy and astrophysics.

It is expected that the portfolio of future missions will consist of both moderate scale “Probe” missions, whose cost will be less than $1B, and large scale “Flagship” missions that will cost more than $1B. The first of these future missions is planned to start in 2010.

More information on the plans for future missions and opportunities to propose scientific investigations will be updated on this site as it becomes available. A good set of examples of future missions may be found at http://exep/exep_exoMtgAgenda.cfm.