Suggested Searches

An image of the Orion nebula showing carbon-rich molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as wisps of red and orange

HWO News

Contact information for press inquiries and recent news about the mission.

HWO Project Update

Building on the foundation of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Technology Maturation Project Office (TMPO), NASA is now establishing the HWO Community Science & Instrument Team (CSIT). This team is crucial for bringing the expertise of the scientific community directly into the early stages of planning for the Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Specifically, the CSIT will:

  • Serve as key liaisons to the broader scientific community, fostering communication and ensuring wide input into the mission's development.
  • Lead scientific investigations to help the project establish the observatory's primary science objectives and requirements.
  • Analyze TMPO-provided  science instrument concepts and support basic instrument definition 
  • Provide valuable scientific perspectives on the technology development plans that will enable HWO to achieve its goals.
A graphic displaying the members of the Community Science & Instrument Team. The team member headshots are in small circles in the foreground, their names and affiliations below. In the background, there is a an image of a planet.
The members of the HWO CSIT.
NASA/Yesenia Arroyo

The CSIT members are:

David Charbonneau (Harvard), Co-Chair
Evgenya Shkolnik (Arizona State), Co-Chair
Michael Bottom (U. Hawaii)
Eric Burns (LSU)
Richard Cartwright (JHU-APL)
Ewan Douglas (U. Arizona)
Kevin France (LASP/CU Boulder)
Scott Gaudi (Ohio State)
Rebecca Jensen-Clem (UCSC)
Janice Lee (STScI)
Victoria Meadows (U. Washington)
Chris Packham (UT San Antonio)
Laurent Pueyo (STScI)
Tyler Robinson (U. Arizona)
Jason Tumlinson (STScI)

Habitable Worlds Observatory Project Update

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Maturation Project Office was established at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on August 1st, 2024.

The following individuals make up the project office team (use the arrows in the bottom right corner to advance through slides):

  • Lee Feinberg (NASA GSFC), Principal Architect
  • Scott Smith (NASA GSFC), Project Manager (interim)
  • Alice Liu (NASA GSFC), Acting Mission Systems Engineer
  • Giada Arney (NASA GSFC), Project Scientist (interim)
  • John Ziemer (JPL), Pre-Formulation Architect, JPL Ex-officio*
  • Aki Roberge (NASA GSFC), Pre-Formulation Scientist (interim)
  • Bertrand Mennesson (JPL), Pre-Formulation Scientist, JPL Ex-officio*

Other key roles include:

  • Breann Sitarski (NASA GSFC), Deputy Principal Architect
  • Matt Bolcar (NASA GSFC), Chief Technologist
  • Feng Zhao (JPL), Deputy Chief Technologist, JPL ex-officio*
  • Julie Van Campen (NASA GSFC), Servicing and Instrument Systems Lead
  • Marie Levine (JPL), Integrated Modeling Lead, JPL ex-officio*

*Ex-officio is used to distinguish activities that GSFC will uniquely perform, such as contracts to industry, budgeting, and deliverable definition (e.g. activities up to Phase A).

Featured News

More NASA News
News Release
3 Min Read

NASA Awards Advance Technologies for Future Habitable Worlds Mission

Article
5 Min Read

How NASA Citizen Science Fuels Future Exoplanet Research

4 Min Read

NASA Selects Groups to Guide ‘Habitable Worlds Observatory’ Activities, Invites Community Participation

Article
5 Min Read

Developing an Ultra-stable Testbed to Enable Future Great Observatory Missions

Article
5 Min Read

‘Goldilocks’ Stars and the Hunt for Habitable Worlds

Article

  • For any inquiries regarding the Habitable Worlds Observatory, please contact:

    Alise Fisher
    Public Affairs Specialist | Astrophysics
    Office of Communications | NASA Headquarters
    Phone: 202-358-2546
    Email: alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

    A star cluster within a nebula. Thin, pale-blue wisps of clouds fill the background while denser areas of pinkish clouds appear superimposed upon them. The star cluster holds bright-blue stars that illuminate the nebula. Large arcs of dense, reddish-brown dust pressed together by the stars’ radiation, curve around, in front of, and behind the clustered stars. Many orange stars are visible in the background behind the clouds of the nebula.
Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Communications

SMD Large Mission Study

James Webb Space Telescope

Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the…

About Roman