Scientists are getting closer every day to getting our best view yet of alien worlds, thanks to years of dedicated work by several missions in which the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder was involved.
NASA and exoplanet scientists are now thinking about NASA’s next major astrophysics mission, a space telescope known as the Habitable Worlds Observatory, or HabWorlds. While we’re still in the planning stages for the deep space mission, scientists and engineers across the astrophysics community are already preparing for the satellite to launch in the next few decades.
Part of the 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics, this mission will feature an ultraviolet telescope paired with a powerful coronagraph. The telescope will enable scientists to collect spectrographic data on the atmospheres of Earth-like exoplanets located in the Goldilocks zone of their host stars, where liquid water is most likely to be present on an exoplanet.
HabWorlds’ primary scientific goal is to analyze the atmospheric composition of these Earth-like exoplanets. This data will allow scientists to evaluate whether these planets could potentially support life.
HabWorlds will be a significant step forward in the search for life across the universe, but it’s certainly not the first. LASP, along with our many partner institutions, has been exploring exoplanets for decades through these five missions:
Kepler
The exoplanet mission that changed everything. Before Kepler launched in 2009, we’d only discovered a few exoplanets, mostly by accident, and it was the prevailing theory that planets were likely rare around other stars. But, by observing a small portion of the sky for about nine years, Kepler’s data discovered something amazing: exoplanets are ubiquitous. LASP served as the mission operations center for Kepler. While the mission ended in 2018, it marked humanity’s first major step in answering a central question of space exploration: Are we alone in the universe?
CUTE
Meet NASA’s first exoplanet-studying SmallSat mission: the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE). This small but powerful explorer uses a near-ultraviolet spectrometer to study the atmospheres of large planets orbiting close to their stars. Specifically, CUTE investigates atmospheric loss from these exoplanets, helping us better understand the dynamics of planetary systems beyond our own. LASP built, tested, and operates the mission, which is entering its fourth year on orbit collecting data for the LASP-based principal investigator and our mission partners.
DEUCE
Exoplanet research without a spacecraft? The LASP-built Dual-Channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment (DEUCE) can gather data about distant exoplanets by taking just a short rocket trip above Earth. Launched from Australia on a sounding rocket in 2022, DEUCE studied the ultraviolet light from two stars, Beta Canis Majoris and Epsilon Canis Major. This data is providing insights into early galactic formation and the dynamics of the early universe. DEUCE also captured the first extreme ultraviolet observations in a critical window, advancing our search for potential exoplanet host star systems.
LUVOIR
Before the Habitable Worlds Observatory proposal, there was the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR). LUVOIR was a multi-organization study published in 2019 focused on the concept of an observatory designed to hunt for habitable exoplanets. LASP developed the LUVOIR Ultraviolet Multi-Object Spectrograph (LUMOS). Aptly named, this proposed instrument was designed as a successor to Hubble’s imaging spectrograph.
LUVOIR and the technologies proposed in the mission are now an important precursor as NASA is beginning to study and design HabWorlds. It also inspired technologies, such as a special mirror coating, now used in missions like the LASP-built Supernova remnants and Proxies for Relonization Testbed Experiment (SPRITE). The SmallSat will launch soon and study the early universe.
MANTIS
Scientific results from the Habitable Worlds Observatory may be decades away, but in the meantime, other LASP missions will continue the investigation. The Monitoring Activity from Nearby Stars with UV Imaging and Spectroscopy (MANTIS) mission, built and operated by LASP and set to launch in 2026, will collaborate with the James Webb Space Telescope to study the volatile physics of nearby stars and their effects on the atmospheres of exoplanets.
By Ravyn Malone, LASP Marketing Specialist
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is on a mission to revolutionize human understanding of the cosmos by pioneering new technologies and approaches to space science. The institute is at the forefront of solar, planetary, and space physics research, climate and space-weather monitoring, and the search for evidence of habitable worlds. LASP is also deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs, backed by superb data analysis, reliable mission operations, and skilled administrative support.
