Will the launch of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (JWST successor) be officially scheduled for a date before 2035?

The Next Great Telescope Timeline

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), the highly anticipated successor to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is currently in the Great Observatory Maturation Program (GOMAP). Official NASA planning documents and the Decadal Survey point to a launch in the 2040s (simulated late 2025 context). The history of large, strategic space missions like JWST is marked by multi-year delays and budget overruns. The strong 'No' vote reflects the deep-seated skepticism that NASA and its industrial partners can successfully navigate the enormous technological and political hurdles involved—particularly in the face of fluctuating congressional funding—to officially schedule a launch before the highly ambitious date of 2035.