NASA funds technology development for Habitable Worlds Observatory to search for signs of life

NASA awarded three-year contracts to seven companies to develop technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a planned space telescope designed to study exoplanet atmospheres; the agency aims for a late 2030s or early 2040s launch.

NASA has directed companies to begin developing technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a proposed space telescope intended to search for signs of life. Seven firms received three-year, fixed-price contracts to study engineering challenges for the observatory. The mission concept focuses on studying starlight that passes through exoplanet atmospheres to look for potential biosignatures. NASA has said it hopes to complete the telescope for a late 2030s or early 2040s launch. Key details: - Seven companies were selected: Astroscale, BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems, Busek, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Zecoat. - Each award is a three-year, fixed-price contract to explore hardware and engineering requirements for the Habitable Worlds Observatory. - The observatory concept would analyze light through exoplanet atmospheres to search for signs of life. - NASA says the telescope will need optical stability capable of functioning within a marginal width the size of a single atom. - The design calls for a novel coronagraph that the agency describes as "thousands of times more capable than any space coronagraph ever built," and the observatory is planned to be serviceable for potential repairs. Summary: The contracts fund early-stage development of technologies NASA says are necessary for the Habitable Worlds Observatory to detect signatures in exoplanet atmospheres. Companies will study engineering challenges over three-year efforts, while final design choices and development timelines remain under determination. NASA has stated an intent to move with urgency, and the planned launch window is the late 2030s to early 2040s.