The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, Blackford Hill. (Image: Google)
The mission aims to identify potentially habitable planets beyond the Solar System and study their atmospheres for signs of life.
The funding will enable scientists and engineers at the UK ATC to develop advanced instruments and technologies for the next-generation space observatory, which is expected to launch in the 2040s.
The Edinburgh centre will help design a range of scientific instruments, including concepts for a multi-object spectrograph capable of observing multiple astronomical targets simultaneously.
Working alongside the University of Edinburgh, the UK ATC is also leading the design of a near-infrared spectrograph for the observatory’s coronagraphic imaging system, allowing astronomers to analyse the atmospheres of distant exoplanets.
The three design proposals. (Image: NASA)
The Habitable Worlds Observatory will also support a wide range of astrophysics research alongside its search for potentially life-supporting worlds.
The UK ATC has extensive experience delivering technology for international space missions, having previously led work on the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope.
Operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the centre designs and builds instruments for some of the world’s leading ground-based and space telescopes.
Christophe Dumas, director of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, said: “The Habitable Worlds Observatory represents one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the coming decades.
“This funding from the UK Space Agency enables UK ATC, and our partners across the UK, to help develop technologies that will help answer one of humanity’s oldest questions: are we alone in the Universe?
“This investment strengthens the UK’s role in a mission that has the potential to transform our understanding of other worlds while creating new opportunities for innovation and collaboration across the UK space sector.”
Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency, said: “This UK Space Agency funding is a significant step forward in securing the UK’s place at the heart of one of the most ambitious space science missions ever conceived.
“Habitable Worlds Observatory is being designed to answer whether we are alone in the universe and will require technological advances as well as scientific breakthroughs.
“That’s why we’re backing UK scientists and engineers to lead one of its core instruments.”