The UK Space Agency today announced around £3 million in funding for the following two groups. They undertake the conceptual design of a high-resolution imaging camera to improve the search for extraterrestrial life. Since EXOPAG are focused on rocky worlds, this initiative will help them create new technology to increase our discriminating eye cast upon them. These planets — particularly the ones the size of our Earth — have long stumped astronomers due to their proximity to bright stars.
University College London (UCL) is leading the UK hardware group. This experienced team includes a wide range of scientists and engineers from prestigious institutions, including the University of Portsmouth, RAL Space, UK Astronomy Technology Centre and Durham University. Together they’re collaborating to design a next-generation telescope. This telescope will use a coronagraph, which arms the telescope with a tool that blocks out stellar glare. As this technology matures, it will allow us to find rocky exoplanets for the very first time. Now, scientists can investigate these worlds as never before.
The high-resolution imaging camera is specifically designed for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission, which seeks to identify potentially habitable planets beyond our solar system. The innovative approach facilitated by the coronagraph addresses a long-standing issue in astrophysics: the difficulty in observing rocky planets due to their proximity to their host stars, which can obscure critical data.
Prof Richard Massey of Durham University told us that this was a fundamental change. He called the new technology the “Hubble Space Telescope of the 21st Century.” He certainly emphasized its importance for looking for signs of life as well, but he highlighted its applications for astronomy more broadly.
“As well as looking for life, a telescope that amazing will watch collisions of asteroids in our solar system, stare into black holes, and solve the mystery of dark matter,” – Prof Richard Massey of Durham University.
Combined with other high-profile initiatives, which these investments will help accelerate, the path is open to several ‘transformative breakthroughs. As the project continues forward, scientists are hoping the new imaging capabilities will completely change how researchers are able to observe other worlds. This great step forward will be monumental in shedding light on environments conducive to life.