UK in pole position to lead key instrument in NASA's hunt for Earth-like worlds

UK astronomers are a step closer to playing a leading role in NASA's search for alien life in the coming decades as they continue developing one of the core instruments of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). The exciting mission—the U.S. space agency's next flagship space telescope after the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope—is expected to launch in the 2040s.