Exploring a Red Planet Space Weather Mission Concept
A 2.5-day workshop at NASA Ames examining a dedicated space weather mission at the Sun-Mars L1 point, across user needs, existing capabilities, and science opportunities.
Dates
Oct 20-22, 2026
2.5 days
Location
NASA Ames
Moffett Field, California
Format
Hybrid
In person & virtual
Cost
Free
Open to the community
A stable vantage upstream of the Red Planet, for watching space weather arrive at Mars.
As humanity sets its sights on the Red Planet, understanding and mitigating the hazards of space weather at Mars is critical. To date there have been no dedicated space weather missions to Mars, leaving gaps in our understanding of how solar activity impacts the Martian environment.
To address this need, the NASA Space Weather Program (SWxP) is hosting this workshop to explore user needs, existing capabilities, and science opportunities for a dedicated space weather mission at the Sun-Mars L1 point.
Over 2.5 days at NASA Ames Research Center, the workshop brings together academia, industry, government partners, and end-users to conceptualize what a mission designed specifically to support future human exploration at Mars could look like.
The workshop is hybrid and free to attend, with in-person sessions at Ames complemented by full virtual participation for the global community.
What we'll explore
Three threads, one mission concept
The workshop is organized around the questions that turn an idea into a mission.
User Needs
Define the observations, data, and forecasts that astronauts, mission control, and autonomous systems need to survive and operate safely at Mars. These requirements drive everything that follows.
Existing Capabilities
Survey the instrumentation and infrastructure available today, from magnetometers and particle detectors to solar imagers and the models behind them, and identify the observational gaps a dedicated mission would need to close.
Science Opportunities
Explore the space-weather science a sustained vantage at Sun-Mars L1 enables, from solar energetic particles and galactic cosmic rays to atmospheric stripping and radiation specific to the Martian environment.
Key dates
Plan your participation
Mark the deadlines for abstracts and registration. International attendees should register early to allow time for site access.
- Now openRegistration and abstract submission open
- Jun 26, 2026Abstract submission closes
- Sep 8, 2026International registration closes
- Oct 7, 2026Domestic registration closes
- Oct 20Workshop convenes at NASA Ames
Join us at Mars L1
Registration and abstract submission are free and open to the community. Reserve your place and share your work.