How common are planets that can support advanced technology like ours?

The Drake equation is one theoretical model for how common planets with intelligent life are. NASA is also working towards answering parts of this question. Scientists are studying the fraction of stars that have planets where water can exist as a liquid on the surface and the fraction of those planets that have Earth-like atmospheres. Only partial answers are available to these questions at this time. We are now certain that potentially habitable planets do exist around other stars, but they remain difficult to detect.

Even for the nearest stars, we are not yet capable of detecting the habitable planets that may exist around them. And we still lack information as to whether they have Earth-like atmospheres. We are laying big plans to answer these questions by direct observations with future space telescopes – two such possibilities are the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory and the Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor.