NASA is hosting the inaugural open community conference for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC, from July 28-31, 2025. Scientists, engineers, industry leaders, and community stakeholders will convene to drive the development of HWO, NASA Astrophysics’ next flagship mission. HWO aims to revolutionize astrophysics discovery by identifying potentially habitable worlds and analyzing their atmospheres for signs of life, addressing the age-old question of whether we are alone in the universe.
The observatory will utilize advanced ultraviolet, optical, and infrared technologies, building on the legacy of the Hubble, Webb, and Roman Space Telescopes. This cutting-edge technology will also enable astronomers to explore cosmological questions, galaxy evolution, the origins of elements, and the solar system’s place in the universe.
Recent progress includes the establishment of a dedicated Technology Maturation Project Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ames Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. This initiative focuses on advancing critical technologies, science cases, and promoting collaboration across government, academia, and industry.
The conference will showcase results from HWO working groups and feature contributions from the global astronomy and engineering communities. This event marks a significant step towards the development of a groundbreaking observatory that promises to expand our understanding of the cosmos and potentially uncover the existence of habitable worlds beyond our own.
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Photo credit astrobiology.com
