The James Webb Space Telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or “Webb") is a joint NASA-European Space Agency(ESA)-Canadian Space Agency(CSA) telescope. It is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship astrophysics mission.

The development for the telescope began in 1996 with a 500 million dollar budget for a launch that was initially planned in 2007; however, the project had several delays and cost overruns. After the completion of the construction for a major redesign in late 2016, the telescope's extensive testing phase began. Work was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, adding further delays.

After successful completion of its final tests recently, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is being prepped for shipment to its launch site.

Engineering teams have completed Webb’s long-spanning comprehensive testing regimen at Northrop Grumman’s facilities. Webb’s many tests and checkpoints were designed to ensure that the world’s most complex space science observatory will operate as designed once in space.

The JWST is oriented toward near-infrared astronomy, but can also see orange and red visible light, as well as the mid-infrared region, depending on the instrument. The design emphasizes the near to mid-infrared for three main reasons:

1. high-redshift objects have their visible emissions shifted into the infrared.

2. Cold objects such as debris disks and planets emit most strongly in the infrared.

3. This band is difficult to study from the ground or by existing space telescopes such as Hubble.

Webb will take one month to fly to its intended orbital location in space nearly one million miles away from Earth, slowly unfolding as it goes. Sunshield Deployment will begin a few days after launch, and each step can be controlled expertly from the ground, giving Webb’s launch full control to circumnavigate any unforeseen issues with deployment.

“After completing the final steps of the James Webb Space Telescope’s testing regimen, I can’t help but see the reflections of the thousands of individuals who have dedicated so much of their lives to Webb, every time I look at that beautiful gold mirror,” said Bill Ochs, Webb project manager for NASA Goddard.

The James Webb Space Telescope is an amazing feat of human ingenuity, made more impressive by the obstacles Webb personnel overcame to deliver this amazing space science observatory. Earthquakes, devastating hurricanes, snowstorms, blizzards, wildfires, and a global pandemic are only some of what the people behind Webb endured to ensure success. Webb’s story is one of perseverance – a mission with contributions from thousands of scientists, engineers, and other professionals from more than 14 countries and 29 states, in nine different time zones.

---