DRAFT Announcement of Opportunity (AO) -- 2025 Astrophysics Small Explorer (SMEX)

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing a Community Announcement (CA) for the Astrophysics Explorers Program in Calendar Year (CY) 2026. The CA provides an update on the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) Cost Cap, which will be increased to $190M in FY 2026 dollars. The AO is expected to be released during the 2nd quarter of CY 2026. The program is seeking proposals for the Astrophysics Small Explorer (SMEX) mission. • The AO Cost Cap will be $190M in FY 2026 dollars. • The final AO text is expected to be released during the 2nd quarter of CY 2026. • The APD SMEX26 Pre-proposal Conference will provide an opportunity to clarify expectations on the Single-Step Selection approach planned for proposal evaluation. • The Q&A feature on the APD SMEX 2026 Acquisition website will continue to provide a resource for clarifications after the AO release.