The Exoplanet Technology group in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Ames is dedicated to advancing direct imaging technologies, including the ultimate goal of imaging Earth-like exoplanets and searching them for signs of life.
Exoplanet Technologies Group TeaM
Rus Belekov
Senior Optical Scientist
Dan Sirbu
AstroPIC Principal Investigator
Kevin Fogarty
Research Scientist
Eduardo Bendek
Senior Optical Scientist
Kevin Sims
Project Manager
Instrument development
Technology enabling exoplanet imaging in binary stars systems.
NASA Ames leads and supports the hardware working group for the Roman Coronagraph Participation Program, which enables international teams to develop capabilities beyond the instrument’s baseline modes
Contributions to the Roman Space Telescope
Laboratory Research
State of the art test beds, vacuum chambers, and labs.
These facilities enable researchers to validate new instruments, algorithms, and wavefront-control techniques before they are deployed on space missions.
Ames Coronagraph Experiment Laboratory
Theory and Observation
A deeper characterization of exoplanets and their host stars.
Combining theoretical research and observations to support NASA missions and enhance their scientific return. Developing models and analysis techniques to interpret observations from missions such as Kepler, TESS, Hubble, and Webb.
Mission contributions
Small Mission Concepts
Mission ideation and maturation
Developing innovative small mission concepts, such as ACESat, to demonstrate new technologies and explore compelling exoplanet science opportunities. These concepts help mature mission architectures and technologies while providing a pathway to address high-priority science goals with cost-effective, focused missions.
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