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| New Worlds Mission | |
|---|---|
| Name | New Worlds Mission |
| Mission type | Exoplanet direct imaging / coronagraphy / starshade demonstration |
| Operator | Multiple institutions and consortia |
| Launch mass | design-dependent |
| Launch date | proposed |
| Status | proposed / developmental |
New Worlds Mission The New Worlds Mission is a proposed space endeavor aimed at direct imaging and characterization of exoplanets using an external occulter (starshade) in coordination with space telescopes. It combines precision formation flying, optical engineering, and coronagraphy to suppress starlight for detection of faint planets, seeking to extend the legacy of projects associated with Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and concept studies from NASA centers and university consortia.
The concept grew from studies within NASA technology roadmaps, drawing on heritage from programs such as Terrestrial Planet Finder, Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, and missions pursued by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and university laboratories. Primary objectives include demonstration of high-contrast imaging via an external occulter, spectroscopic characterization of reflected light from terrestrial and gas giant planets, and maturation of formation flying techniques used in missions like Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and concepts related to LISA technology. Ancillary goals emphasize technology readiness improvements for future flagship missions, engagement with the Exoplanet Exploration Program, and pathfinding for community initiatives exemplified by decadal surveys from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The architecture centers on a separate starshade spacecraft flying in formation with a space telescope platform derived from observatory designs influenced by Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and study concepts for the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor. The starshade’s petal-shaped occulter blocks stellar photons at separations analogous to baselines used in interferometry projects like Very Large Telescope Interferometer and heritage from deployable structures in missions such as James Webb Space Telescope sunshield development. Formation control borrows guidance, navigation, and control techniques developed for missions like Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission and autonomous rendezvous demonstrated by Orbital Express.
Key instruments include a high-throughput visible/near-infrared spectrograph informed by designs from Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope studies and coronagraph subsystems similar to testbeds at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Ames Research Center. The starshade employs precision-deployable structures with materials and fabrication techniques advanced by collaborations with institutions like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and academic partners. Wavefront sensing and control draw on algorithms and hardware validated in facilities such as the High Contrast Imaging Testbed and flight experience from the NICMOS and STIS instruments on Hubble Space Telescope.
Operational scenarios envisage the telescope performing target acquisition and initial coronagraphic suppression while the starshade relocates between targets using propulsion approaches analogous to those employed on Dawn (spacecraft) and station-keeping techniques from geosynchronous missions. Typical observing sequences require precise stationkeeping over baselines on the order of tens of thousands of kilometers and coordination procedures similar to planning for the Chandra X-ray Observatory and coordinated science campaigns like those of the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope. Ground operations leverage mission operations concepts used at NASA Deep Space Network facilities and science scheduling practices from large missions such as Kepler and TESS.
Science aims include detection of Earth-size and larger exoplanets in reflected light, determination of atmospheric composition through spectroscopy (searching for markers discussed in literature from Carl Sagan-era exobiology and modern analyses), and measurement of orbital parameters to inform formation theories linked to studies from ALMA and radial-velocity programs at observatories like Keck Observatory and European Southern Observatory. Expected results include spectra capable of constraining molecular absorbers such as water vapor and oxygen, albedo measurements to infer surface or cloud properties, and census-level data to complement transit surveys by Kepler and TESS as well as microlensing results from projects like OGLE.
Development has involved partnerships among federal laboratories—including Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Ames Research Center—academic teams from institutions such as California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Arizona, and industry contractors like Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace. Funding and advocacy trace through programs at NASA, interagency reviews by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and community input represented in decadal surveys and workshops attended by researchers associated with SETI Institute and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.
Primary risks include manufacturing tolerances for the starshade petals, long-distance formation flying precision, and contamination control affecting contrast—challenges similar to those faced by missions like James Webb Space Telescope and precision platforms such as Gaia. Mitigations comprise ground and subscale testbeds at facilities like the High Contrast Imaging Testbed, risk-reduction flight demonstrations informed by smallsat programs exemplified by CubeSat missions, incremental technology maturation under NASA Technology Readiness Level pathways, and phased funding strategies coordinated with stakeholders including the Exoplanet Exploration Program and international partners from agencies such as European Space Agency and national research agencies.
Category:Proposed spacecraft