The COPAG serves as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for soliciting and coordinating community analysis and input in support of Cosmic Origin objectives and of their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization and for future exploration. It provides findings of analyses to the NASA Astrophysics Division Director.
The Cosmic Origins Program Analysis Group (COPAG) is constituted by the Astrophysics Division Director to support community coordination and analysis of scientific and technological issues impacting NASA's Cosmic Origins (COR) Program (COPAG Terms of Reference). In the past, the COPAG has supported analysis of technological priorities for potential future Cosmic Origins strategic missions, organized workshops on future missions' science goals, constituted Science Analysis Groups to identify ways to maximize COR science returns from future missions such as JWST and WFIRST, and explored ways for the US science community to pursue Spica-like science. The COPAG organizes open meetings and workshops for science community members.
All COPAG substantive activities — meetings, workshops, Science Analysis Groups (SAGs), Science Interest Groups (SIGs), telecons, or other core work — are open to participation by the community. The COPAG is coordinated by an Executive Committee, which meets biweekly by telecon.