Lee D. Feinberg, Breann Sitarski, Michael W. McElwain, Giada Arney, Matthew R. Bolcar, Marie Levine, Bertrand Mennesson, Aki Roberge, Jeffrey S. Smith, Feng Zhao, John Ziemer
The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is the first telescope ever designed to search for life and will be a powerhouse of discovery across topics in astrophysics. The observatory was the top recommendation of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey for large missions, and a new HWO Technology Maturation Project Office was formed in August 2024 to mature the architecture, science, and technology. In this paper, we review the overall approach taken to mature the mission concept. We show progress on architecture development, integrated modeling, science cases, and technology roadmaps consistent with preformulation studies. We discuss plans for instrument studies, international engagement, and science engagement, including a Community Science and Instrument Team. Finally, we describe the plan forward to the Mission Concept Review.