The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized
space telescope. The project is working to a 2018 launch date. Webb will find
the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang
to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars
forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System.
Webb's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range
of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range.
The James Webb Space Telescope was named after the NASA Administrator who crafted the Apollo program, and who was a staunch supporter of space science.