Continuing to Advance European High-ContrastImaging R&D towards HWO and LIFE

The European R&D for Space-based High-Contrast Imaging (HCI) II Workshop,held at MPIA in May 2025, advanced Europe’s strategic coordination in supportof future exoplanet-imaging missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory(HWO) and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) mission. Building onthe first 2024 workshop, this meeting defined concrete priorities across eight technical areas, including wavefront sensing, coronagraphs, post-processing, nullinginterferometry, deformable mirrors, detectors, and telescope design. Discussionsemphasized Europe’s strengths in adaptive optics, ground-based facilities, andinterferometry, while identifying key gaps, particularly the need for a dedicatedEuropean vacuum testbed for high-contrast imaging. The community highlightednear-infrared or UV coronagraphy as a promising domain for European leadership and called for joint development of advanced data reduction algorithms,detectors, and cross-mission coordination with HWO and LIFE. The workshopoutcomes establish a collaborative roadmap to strengthen Europe’s technologi-cal readiness, foster agency partnerships, and ensure its continued leadership inthe next generation of space-based exoplanet exploration.