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Event

When: September 15 to 17, 2026 (3 day meeting)

Where: Virtual and in-person in Pasadena, CA.

Who: The meeting is open to participants in the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) mission software community, including mission software developers and operators, AI and software researchers, and partner organizations from industry, academia, and the open source community.

Meeting Description

Please join us from September 15-17 for the 2026 NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Mission Software Workshop at Pasadena, CA. This three-day meeting builds on the May 2024 SMD Software Workshop held in Washington, D.C., which surveyed the opportunities and challenges across the categories and lifecycle stages of software relevant to NASA SMD activities.

The 2026 Workshop focuses the discussion on three areas: mission software development and operations, AI for software, and partner engagement. Participants will exchange recent progress, identify shared technical gaps, and chart practical paths toward stronger coordination across the SMD mission software ecosystem. Hands-on sessions and working discussions will give mission teams, researchers, and partners room to align on near-term opportunities and longer-term direction.

Key Objectives

  • Advance shared practice in mission software development and operations across SMD missions and centers
  • Examine how AI is reshaping the software development lifecycle and identify near-term infusion opportunities
  • Strengthen engagement with commercial, academic, and open source partners contributing to SMD mission software
  • Surface gaps in current tooling, infrastructure, and process
  • Build a stronger cross-organizational community of practice around SMD mission software

The meeting will take place in Pasadena, CA. The event space includes large conference rooms and breakout discussion rooms for all planned activities. Each room will accommodate virtual attendance options. There is no registration fee.

The meeting agenda will be added when finalized this summer.

Meeting Material

Read the 2024 SMD Software Workshop Report.

Organizing Committees

This event is administered by a Program Committee and an Executive Committee.

Program Committee

  • Co-Chair: Brian Knosp, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Co-Chair: Paul Ramirez, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Bob Berardino, Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Edwin Dove, NASA GSFC
  • George Chang, NASA JPL 
  • Crystal Gummo, NASA LaRC
  • Jon Jenkins, NASA ARC 
  • Rebecca Ringuette, NASA GSFC
  • Scott Tashakkor, NASA MSFC 

Executive Committee

  • Co-Lead: Brian Knosp, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Co-Lead: Paul Ramirez, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Debra Castro, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Steven Crawford, NASA Office of the Chief Science Data Officer 
  • Karen Yuen, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Points of Contact

If you have any additional questions about this event, please contact:

NASA Official

Steve Crawford (steven.m.crawford@nasa.gov)