This white paper presents an analysis of Astro2020 science priorities and NASA's future astrophysics mission architecture, advocating for a coordinated fleet of $1--2B missions, smaller than typical Flagship observatories, but strategically designed to complement them, i.e. a ``Next Generation Great Observatories" program. The study addresses opportunities in current mission planning, design, and implementation and proposes a strategic approach to maximize scientific return on investment while strengthening partnerships across NASA divisions, other government organizations, universities, and industry.
@article{arxiv.2605.02880,
title = {Foundations for Discovery: A Coordinated Fleet Approach to NASA Astrophysics},
author = {Regina Caputo and Francesca M. Civano and Knicole D. Colón and Brian Humensky and David T. Leisawitz and Avi M. Mandell and Conor A. Nixon and Georgia A. de Nolfo and Jeremy S. Perkins and Elisa V. Quintana and Judith L. Racusin and Joshua E. Schlieder and Albert Y. Shih and Amy A. Simon and Jacob Slutsky and Tonia M. Venters and Jennifer J. Wiseman and Allison A. Youngblood},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.02880},
year = {2026}
}