Fast Facts
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an orbiting infrared observatory that will
complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity.
The longer wavelengths enable the JWST to look much closer to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies,
as well as to look inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.
| Proposed Launch Date: |
June 2013 |
| Launch Vehicle: |
Ariane 5 ECA |
| Mission Duration |
5 - 10 years |
| Total payload mass: |
Approx 6200 kg, including observatory, on-orbit consumables and launch
vehicle adaptor. |
| Diameter of primary Mirror: |
~6.5 m (21.3 ft) |
| Clear aperture of primary Mirror: |
25 m2 |
| Primary mirror material: |
beryllium |
| Mass of primary mirror: |
705 kg |
| Focal length: |
131.4 meters |
| Number of primary mirror segments: |
18 |
| Optical resolution: |
~0.1 arc-seconds |
| Wavelength coverage: |
0.6 - 28 microns |
| Size of sun shield: |
~22 m x 12 m (72 ft x 39 ft) |
| Orbit: |
1.5 million km from Earth at L2 Point |
| Operating Temperature: |
under 50 K (-370 °F) |
Mission Goals
- Search for the first galaxies or luminous objects formed after the Big Bang.
- Determine how galaxies evolved from their formation until now
- Observe the formation of stars from the first stages to the formation of planetary systems
- Measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems and investigate the potential for life in those systems
JWST Instruments
- Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam)
- Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec)
- Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI)
- Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS)
Major Innovations
- Lightweight optics
- Deployable sunshield
- Folding segmented mirror
- Improved Detectors
- Cryogenic actuators & mirror control
- Micro-shutters
