Pioneers Program


The Pioneers or Astrophysics Pioneers Program is a NASA program started in 2020 intended to use small-size hardware. The missions are expected to include SmallSats, Balloon payloads, and payloads attached to the ISS, with a $20M cost cap.
Four were the concepts chosen to study in January 2021, which will undergo a review before approval for flight:
George [Mason University] is currently collaborating with NASA for the Landolt [space mission], which intends to put an artificial "star" in the Earth's orbit.