In The NoCo

A new space telescope will search for other planets that could host life. This CU astronomer recently joined the search

By In The NoCo,

Published September 16, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

Ways To Subscribe

A rendering of one potential design of the Habitable Worlds Observatory. this image shows a six-sided open ended spacecraft with solar panels, pictured in space. — A rendering of a potential mission architecture design of the Habitable Worlds Observatory. The new space telescope will search for Earth-like planets outside our solar system.

Somewhere in the vast reaches of the universe, there may be an Earth-like planet that could be a second home for humanity.

Although that may sound like science fiction, astronomers at the University of Colorado Boulder are part of a new project designed to help find that planet. And their efforts will soon get a major boost, as researchers from CU Boulder, in collaboration with NASA, prepare for a new space telescope to come online.

The telescope, called the Habitable Worlds Observatory, is expected to launch in the 2030s.

Kevin France is a professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences at CU, and was recently appointed to the project. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about how this new observatory could help us reimagine our place in the universe.

Also: Check out our recent conversation about Breckenridge becoming Colorado’s latest dark sky community.

Kevin France, a man in a light-colored patterned shirt and a light brown zip-up sweater with dark-framed glasses, holds up a component of a rocket that looks like a bronze-colored cone. — Kevin France is a professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences at CU Boulder

Tags

In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

See stories by In The NoCo

Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

See stories by Erin O'Toole

Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

See stories by Brad Turner

Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

See stories by Ariel Lavery