Ibadan, 6 January 2026. – NASA has selected proposals from Astroscale and six other industry companies to advance technologies for the agency’s Habitable Worlds Observatory concept. The concept intends to directly image Earth-like planets around stars like our Sun and study the chemical composition of their atmospheres for signs of life.
This flagship space telescope would also enable wide-ranging studies of the universe and support future human exploration of Mars, our solar system, and beyond. To this end, NASA selected proposals from Astroscale U.S., BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems, Busek Co., L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin Inc., Northrop Grumman Inc., and Zecoat Co. Inc., on three-year, fixed-price contracts.
To achieve its science goals, the Habitable Worlds Observatory would need a stable optical system that moves no more than the width of an atom while it conducts observations. The Observatory’s design would also allow servicing in space to extend its lifetime and bolster its science over time.
Additionally, the mission would require a coronagraph – an instrument that blocks the light of a star to better see its orbiting planets – thousands of times more capable than any space coronagraph ever built.
“The Habitable Worlds Observatory is exactly the kind of bold, forward-leaning science that only NASA can undertake,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Humanity is waiting for the breakthroughs this mission is capable of achieving and the questions it could help us answer about life in the universe. We intend to move with urgency, and expedite timelines to the greatest extent possible to bring these discoveries to the world.”
The newly selected proposals will subsequently help inform NASA’s approach to planning for the Habitable Worlds Observatory concept, as the agency builds on technologies and lessons learned from its Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
