Will JWST's Cycle 6 approved programs include new observations of the exoplanet K2-18 b?

K2-18 b is the sub-Neptune where a Cambridge team reported a possible hint of dimethyl sulfide in 2025, a gas tied to life on Earth. Later reanalyses found the signal weak, and settling it needs more Webb time. STScI notifies Cycle 6 winners in mid to late March 2027.

How this question entered the record and how it will be resolved.

Resolution criteria

Resolves Yes if, by May 31, 2027, STScI's public list of approved JWST Cycle 6 General Observer programs (stsci.edu, Approved Programs) includes at least one program that lists K2-18 b or its host star K2-18 as a target. Director's Discretionary Time does not count. Resolves No otherwise.

Expected resolution

May 31, 2027

• STScI, January 30, 2026: Cycle 6 TAC meets February 1 to 11, 2027, notifications mid to late March 2027, Cycle 6 starts July 1, 2027
• ScienceDaily (The Conversation), September 9, 2026: only 6.6% of surveyed astrobiologists thought the K2-18 b molecules probably meant life

Webb time is heavily oversubscribed every cycle, and reviewers may prefer fresher targets after years of argument over this one planet.

• New peer reviewed reanalyses of existing K2-18 b data
• A Director's Discretionary award that removes the need for Cycle 6 time