NASA has selected BAE Systems, L3Harris Technologies, and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) to support the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission concept. The HWO will be a groundbreaking telescope designed to search for signs of life beyond our solar system and conduct observations of the universe. The team will embark on a two-year research effort called the Ultra-stable Large Telescope Research and Analysis Program – Critical Technologies (ULTRA-CT) to advance ultra-stable optical systems. The HWO telescope will need to be a thousand times more stable than the James Webb Space Telescope. This collaboration represents a significant step forward for NASA's next flagship astrophysics mission after the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope [e1300db3].
The HWO mission concept aims to explore and study habitable worlds beyond our solar system, with a focus on identifying signs of life. The telescope will be equipped with advanced technology and will require ultra-stable optical systems to achieve its scientific objectives. BAE Systems, L3Harris Technologies, and STScI have been selected as research teams to support the development of these critical technologies. Their two-year research effort, ULTRA-CT, will play a crucial role in advancing the stability of the HWO telescope, which needs to be a thousand times more stable than the James Webb Space Telescope. This collaboration between NASA and the selected teams represents a significant milestone in the development of the HWO mission concept [e1300db3].