Mark Shuttleworth published a preview announcement on Ubuntu 9.10, which will be released in October
Ubuntu 9.10 Preview Announcement
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the *Karmic Koala*, the newest member of our alliterative menagerie.
When you are looking for inspiration beyond the looming Jaunty feature freeze, I hope you'll think of the Koala, our official mascot for Ubuntu 9.10. And if you'll bear with me for a minute I'll set the scene for what we hope to achieve in that time.
Ubuntu 9.10 Preview Announcement