NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (NASA-DARES). Venus Exploration and Analysis Group (VEXAG) November 2025 Meeting

Introduction: NASA sponsored Astrobiology research focuses on three basic questions: How does life begin and evolve? Does life exist elsewhere in the Universe? How do we search for life in the Universe? Over the past 50 years, astrobiologists have uncovered myriad clues to answering these Big Questions. Why is Earth habitable? How, when, and why did it become habitable? Are, or were, any other bodies in our Solar System habitable? Might planets orbiting other stars be habitable? What sorts of stars are most likely to have habitable planets?

NASA‑DARES (Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy) is NASA’s next roadmap for studying the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Developed through community input, NASA‑DARES builds on the 2015 NASA Astrobiology Strategy and National Academies’ reports, reflecting on recent advances and identifying thematic Focus Areas to guide astrobiology research and exploration. It champions astrobiology’s interdisciplinary spirit, synergizing cross-divisional efforts across the Science Mission Directorate and beyond.

Status Update. In this presentation, we would like to share with the VEXAG community about the progress we have made in developing NASA-DARES. The first phase occurred in late 2024 and early 2025 and included a Request for Information from the community. Phase 2 has helped frame the strategy and was led by a Task Force 1 of community members that have synthesized the RFI responses.

Task Force 1 completed its work in early summer 2025. We are now in Phase 3, and NASA is currently accepting applications for Task Force 2. Application window for Task Force 2 will close on September 29, 2025. Task Force 2 will be responsible for drafting the written report, which will be shared as it progresses at community conferences (AGU, AAS, AbSciCon).

NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (NASA-DARES). Venus Exploration and Analysis Group (VEXAG) November 2025 Meeting 2025, (LPI Contrib. No. 3122)

R. Harris1, R. McCauley Rench2 , and H. Jang-Condell3 , 1NASA Postdoctoral Management Fellow, NASA Headquarters ([email protected]), 2Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, 3Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters.

Astrobiology,