Call for Feasibility Studies for potential UK-led Instrument Concepts for Habitable Worlds Observatory
This call invites proposals to explore the feasibility of potential UK-led scientific instrument concepts for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory.
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The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) has been selected by NASA as its next flagship space astronomy mission, following on from missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. A principal scientific goal of HWO is to search for Earth-like planets in our interstellar neighbourhood and to characterise their surfaces and/or atmospheres through direct spectroscopic observations in the search for evidence of life processes.
The UK Space Agency sees a strong case for a lead role on HWO in terms of the potential scientific, economic, international and societal benefits.
This call aims to understand the feasibility of potential UK-led instrument concepts which could include, but are not limited to, a UV/Visible Imager or a Multi-object Spectrometer. The principal objective is to explore options that offer the greatest benefits and strategically position the UK to secure a leading role in this flagship NASA mission.
Statements of Interest passing an initial sift will provide insight to support upcoming European HWO discussions in Graz, Austria on 1 July 2025 as well as subsequent discussions at the HWO conference in Washington later that month. Therefore all Statements of Interest will need to be submitted to the UK Space Agency by 5:00 pm on 16 June 2025 to allow time for the initial sifting to take place prior to those crucial meetings.
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