Paper 14145-60
Paper 14145-60
HWO UV instrument studies: bounding conditions and interfaces
8 July 2026 • 13:50 - 14:10 CEST | Room B4-M3
Abstract
NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Technology Maturation Project Office (HTMPO) released a call in 2026 for US-led instrument studies. The instrument concepts should be designed to meet the transformative astrophysics measurement capabilities defined by the Community Science and Instrumentation Team (CSIT) in their analysis of science cases developed by the international astronomical community. The instrument study call defined bounding conditions such as mass, power and volume, as well as a fundamental understanding of the optical, mechanical and thermal interfaces provided by the latest two observatory design concepts. The ultraviolet instrument (UVI) coordination team developed these bounding conditions in 2025 – 2026 with a view to the likely range of capabilities for those instruments. While the NASA-sponsored instrument study call focuses on US-led proposals, NASA fully supports collaborative efforts for instrument studies and designs from international partners.
Presenter
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr (United States)
Dr. Scowen currently serves as a Senior Research Astrophysicist at NASA Goddard. His current activities focus on the definition of drivers for NASA’s next Flagship mission - the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). He recently served as one of the co-chairs for one of the science working groups, to define the science drivers for the mission. He now also serves as part of the HWO Project Office in defining the development path for both investment and schedule for key technologies for the astrophysics instruments on HWO. He was also recently asked to serve as the Instrument Scientist for the ultraviolet instrument (UVI) on the mission. Dr. Scowen's primary science activities have focused on the development of next generation spectrographs and space-based observatories to employ emerging technologies to open up new capabilities to advance the field of astronomical science.