PHOENIX \u2014 NASA is ramping up work on one large space telescope while also laying the groundwork for future observatories.<\/p>\n
The agency announced Jan. 5 that it awarded three-year, fixed-price contracts to seven companies to study technologies that could be used for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, or HWO, a large space telescope currently projected to launch sometime in the 2040s. NASA did not disclose the value of the contracts.<\/p>\n
The selected companies are Astroscale U.S., BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems, Busek, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Zecoat.<\/p>\n
The companies will examine a range of technologies relevant to HWO, Scott Smith, interim project manager for the mission, said during a session at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society here Jan. 6. They range from mirror coatings and stability to \u201cmicrothruster\u201d propulsion and servicing approaches.<\/p>\n
The studies are part of broader NASA efforts to advance the design of HWO while it remains in a preliminary pre-formulation phase. That work includes evaluating different architectures for the telescope and refining key science objectives that will shape the final design.<\/p>\n
\u201cHWO will be the most powerful telescope that NASA has ever launched,\u201d said Giada Arney, HWO project scientist. She said the observatory will be able to detect dimmer objects than any other space- or ground-based telescope, enabling science ranging from exoplanets to cosmology.<\/p>\n
Few characteristics of HWO have been finalized at this stage, including the size of its primary mirror. The project is currently evaluating two concepts: one with a six-meter mirror and another with an eight-meter mirror.<\/p>\n
Astronomers generally favor a larger aperture. \u201cWe can do compelling science with a six-meter, but there are scientific reasons for pushing toward an eight-meter,\u201d Arney said. \u201cBigger apertures float everyone\u2019s boats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith said the mirror size must be weighed against other design elements, such as detectors and instruments. \u201cThat is part of the trade between the two: where do we want to balance what could be serviced later, like the instruments, versus what can\u2019t be, which would be the telescope,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is not an easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
The industry contracts and related studies are intended to mature the design and critical technologies for HWO by the end of the decade, reducing the risk of cost and schedule overruns that have affected previous flagship missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope.<\/p>\n
That effort is slated to receive a major funding boost. NASA\u2019s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal requested just $3.3 million for HWO technology development as part of a plan that would have cut overall NASA astrophysics funding by two-thirds. However, the minibus appropriations bill released Jan. 5 would provide $150 million for HWO.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just found out that we\u2019re finally going to get to accelerate our mission progress with real funding,\u201d Arney said.<\/p>\n
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also emphasized the need to move quickly. \u201cThe Habitable Worlds Observatory is exactly the kind of bold, forward-leaning science that only NASA can undertake,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cWe intend to move with urgency and expedite timelines to the greatest extent possible to bring these discoveries to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Probes and future flagships<\/p>\n
The Habitable Worlds Observatory was the top-priority flagship mission in the most recent astrophysics decadal survey, known as Astro2020. The survey also recommended developing a class of smaller missions known as astrophysics probes, with a target cost of about $1 billion.<\/p>\n