Habitable Worlds Observatory

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Habitable Worlds Observatory
Habitable Worlds Observatory Ultra-stable Telescope (SVS20400 - UltraStableTelescope Prores 00877 print).jpg
Mission type Space telescope
Operator NASA
Website https://habitableworldsobservatory.org/home
Start of mission
Launch date2040s (2025-11-07UTC02:40)
Large Strategic Science Missions
Astrophysics Division
←  NGRST


The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future flagship space telescope for NASA Astrophysics that will build on the achievements of the Hubble, Webb, and Roman Space Observatories. Designed to search for signs of life on nearby Earth-like planets, HWO will combine cutting-edge ultraviolet, optical, infrared, technologies to explore fundamental questions about life in the Universe, the origin of galaxies and elements, and the place of humanity in the cosmos. [1]

Contents

Its primary mission would be to search for and image Earth-size habitable exoplanets in the habitable zones of their stars, where liquid water can exist, by using a coronagraph or a starshade to block out the light of their stars. [2] The proposed launch date is 2041, a tentative date because U.S. President Donald Trump’s budget proposals promised to defund and dismantle many NASA science missions currently in development. [3]

Mission goals

Artist's concept of one design for the proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory created in May 2024

HWO's main objective would be to identify and directly image at least 25 potentially habitable worlds. It would then use spectroscopy to search for chemical biosignatures in these planets' atmospheres, including gases such as oxygen and methane, which could serve as critical evidence for life. HWO would also use its high sensitivity and resolution capabilities to trace the evolution of galaxies and other cosmic structures. [4]

The main science themes for HWO are: [2]

Development

The concept for HWO came out of two earlier ideas called the Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor and Habitable Exoplanets Observatory. HWO was officially recommended in 2020 by the National Academies' Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics. [5] In 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established a Great Observatory Maturation Program (GOMAP) to unite government, industry, and academia to develop the technologies needed for HWO. [4] GOMAP aims to draw on lessons from previous NASA missions to streamline development of the HWO concept and decrease budget and schedule risks for the future mission.

The HWO is designed to be launched on a super heavy-lift launch vehicle such as SpaceX's Starship, Blue Origin's New Glenn or the SLS. [6] The design for the HWO includes a 6–8-meter mirror; however, it would allow for a larger mirror if launch-vehicle technology allows by the time of its launch in the 2040s. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "NASA Habitable Worlds Observatory Website".
  2. 1 2 "Habitable Worlds Observatory Community Website at Space Telescope Science Institute". Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy . Nov 6, 2025. Archived from the original on 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  3. ↑ Berger, Eric (11 April 2025). "Trump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  4. 1 2 Dana Bolles (Responsible NASA Official for Science) (January 1, 2024). Yesenia Arroyo (ed.). "HWO "about" page". NASA . Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  5. ↑ FIONA HARRISON; ROBERT C. KENNICUTT, JR.; JULIANNE DALCANTON; TIM DE ZEEUW; ANDREW S. DRIESMAN; JONATHAN J. FORTNEY; GABRIELA GONZÁLEZ>; JORDAN A. GOODMAN; MARC P. KAMIONKOWSKI; BRUCE A. MACINTOSH; JACOBUS M. OSCHMANN; RACHEL A. OSTEN; LYMAN A. PAGE, JR.; ELIOT QUATAERT; WANDA A. SIGUR; RACHEL SOMERVILLE; KEIVAN G. STASSUN; JEAN L. TURNER; PIETER VAN DOKKUM; ELLEN G. ZWEIBEL (2023). Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. doi:10.17226/26141. ISBN   978-0-309-46734-6. OSTI   2326985. Archived from the original on 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  6. 1 2 Kuhr, Jack (2024-07-10). "Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Future of Space Telescopes in the Era of Super Heavy Lift Launch". payloadspace.com. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
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