Trace the evolution of galaxy formation.Webb's 10-year primary mission will address four key science areas: "Webb’s infrared capabilities will open up a new frontier for imaging and spectroscopy." "Webb will be transformative for astronomical research, just as Hubble has been," says Heidi Hammel (NASA/GSFC). While missions such as NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Hershel Space Observatory have given us a tantalizing view of the infrared universe, Webb will blow the doors wide open on this field of astronomy. While some infrared wavelengths are accessible from the ground, you really need to head to space to see most of the infrared sky. The infrared observatory is often touted as the successor to Hubble, but while Hubble observed visible light and ultraviolet photons, Webb will specialize in near-infrared wavelengths (0.6 to 28.3 microns). Shown here are Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (X-rays and gamma rays), Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (lower-energy X-rays), Hubble Space Telescope (near-infrared through near-ultraviolet), James Webb Space Telescope (near- and mid-infrared), Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (microwaves), and the Very Large Array (radio). Various space telescopes have probed light at different wavelengths. Rubin Observatory on the ground and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Webb promises to push forward the boundaries of modern astronomy. The telescope's primary mirror, 6.5 meters (21 feet) across, is made of 18 hexagonal gold-plated beryllium segments, resulting in a telescope 100 times more powerful than the 2.4-meter Hubble. It will need to unfold and deploy its seven-layer sunshade properly the first time around. Headed towards a Lissajous halo orbit around the L 2 Sun-Earth Lagrange point almost 700 thousand miles beyond the orbit of the Moon, Webb is - unlike Hubble - well beyond the range of any possible repair mission. Webb is easily one of the most complex and costly telescopes ever built.
Webb's primary mirror is folded and ready for rocket encapsulation. Now, the telescope carries with it the hopes and dreams of astronomers worldwide. Ultimately, NASA footed $9.7 billion of the bill, while partners in the European Space Agency kicked in $810 million and the Canadian Space Agency provided $160 million. A Congressional proposal in 2011 almost killed the project entirely. The project devoured nearly half of NASA’s overall astrophysics budget between 20, with projected costs ballooning from an initial $1 billion to an ultimate price tag of $11 billion. The Webb telescope in the launch site clean room.īut the road to space hasn’t been easy. The gigantic, foldable telescope was formally proposed during the 2001 decadal survey as a near-infrared workhorse that could probe everything from exoplanetary systems to the very earliest universe. It’s amazing to think: the idea of the space telescope that would become Webb was first proposed way back in 1989, before the Hubble Space Telescope was even launched. After three decades from conception through design, delays, setbacks, and threats of outright cancellation, the James Webb Space Telescope launches from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana on a European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket no earlier than December 24th.
An artist's conception of the James Webb Space Telescope in space.