The James Webb Space Telescope (often called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. The telescope will be released on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 24, 2021.
We do not yet know what the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal. Webb is an international cooperation in between NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The main industrial partner is Northrop Grumman; the Space Telescope Science Institute will run Webb after launch.
Webb also has a cryocooler for cooling the mid-infrared detectors of another instrument (MIRI) to a really cold 7 kelvins (minus 447 Fahrenheit) so they can work.
The Webb telescope will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving countless astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the very first luminescent radiances after the Big Bang, to the development of solar systems capable of supporting life on worlds like Earth, to the development of our own Solar System.
The Webb telescope was previously understood as the “Next Generation Space Telescope” (NGST); it was relabelled in September 2002 after a previous NASA administrator, James Webb.
Webb is an international collaboration between NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is handling the advancement effort. The main commercial partner is Northrop Grumman; the Space Telescope Science Institute will operate Webb after launch.
A number of innovative innovations have actually been established for Webb. Webbs most significant function is a tennis court sized five-layer sunshield that attenuates heat from the Sun more than a million times. Webb likewise has a cryocooler for cooling the mid-infrared detectors of another instrument (MIRI) to a very cold 7 kelvins (minus 447 Fahrenheit) so they can work.
Artistic mural of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA
We do not yet know what the James Webb Space Telescope will discover. Will we get responses? Will we have more questions? Somethings particular: The story of us is a relentless quest for understanding.
By NASA
December 21, 2021
