BAE Systems, along with L3Harris Technologies and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), has been selected as one of three groups to work on developing technologies for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). The telescope is designed to search for signs of life outside of our solar system and carry out detailed astronomical research. Its main goal is to discover and study planets similar to Earth orbiting other stars in order to determine their ability to sustain life. Additionally, the observatory will investigate the evolution of stars, planets, galaxies, and the universe with exceptional sensitivity and resolution.
The team will start a two-year research project called the Ultra-stable Large Telescope Research and Analysis Program – Critical Technologies (ULTRA-CT). This program aims to improve the performance of large space telescopes through the advancement of ultra-stable optical systems. Laura Coyle, who is the principal optical engineer and astrophysics technology lead for BAE Systems’ Space and Mission Systems sector, will lead the project. ULTRA-CT is built upon the team’s previous work on two NASA projects: ULTRA, a one-year study that identified technology gaps for large segmented systems, and ULTRA-TM, a four-year effort to develop key component-level technologies.
Observing exoplanets is extremely challenging because the light they reflect is much fainter compared to the stars they orbit. To detect an Earth-like planet around a Sun-like star, the contrast in brightness is approximately 10 billion to 1. Achieving this level of starlight suppression requires a coronagraph and a very stable, large telescope to collect enough controlled light. The stability needed for a 10 billion to 1 contrast is on the scale of picometers – one trillionth of a meter – which is beyond current technology. The telescope used must be a thousand times more stable than the James Webb Space Telescope.
Coyle stated that even small changes in temperature and vibrations can affect the telescope’s ability to maintain the necessary contrast for observations. Therefore, a system with both passive and active elements is needed to minimize and compensate for disturbances. The ULTRA team of engineers, with a history of supporting NASA’s most ambitious missions, is eager to develop technologies that will address stability at the picometer level and further advance this innovative project.
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HWO is the upcoming primary astrophysics mission for NASA after the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is scheduled to be launched by 2027.
