The proposed LUVOIR telescope, for example, could image 50 Earth-sized exoplanets over four years, studying their atmospheres, seasons, and even surfaces. If chosen for funding and construction, it would launch in the 2030s.
"There's high confidence that once we build these instruments, we'll be able to find signatures of life if they're out there," NASA scientist Jessie Christiansen told Business Insider. "I would be surprised if we don't find something."