![]() ![]() Ball Aerospace was an early mission partner, teaming with Goddard Space Flight Center and TRW (later acquired by Northrop Grumman) in 1997 to conduct technical requirement and cost studies. Webb was announced in 1996 under its original moniker, the Next Generation Space Telescope. ![]() While Webb is lighter than Hubble, it is much larger – approximately as tall as a three-story building and about as long as a tennis court.Webb’s mirrors are passively chilled to -233☌ (-388☏) by Ball-built radiators, while a massive umbrella-like shield blocks the Sun’s heat.Considered the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb will be striving to detect the first galaxies in the universe that formed 13.5 billion years ago.The two side wings, each consisting of three mirror segments, were folded to fit inside the rocket and deployed after launch.Webb’s primary mirror is made of 18 separate hexagonal segments.Webb is the largest mirror and the first segmented telescope ever flown in space.Southern Ring Nebula (NIRCam Image)Īll images credited to: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Some Fun Facts After Webb’s camera reached its initial operating temperature of 120 Kelvin (approximately -244 degrees Fahrenheit, or -153 degrees Celsius), Webb’s optics team began meticulously moving the 18 primary mirror segments to form a single mirror surface that can capture sharp and detailed images, like those just released. During its month-long journey it went through the careful processes of deploying the sunshield and mirrors. “These are just the first of what will be exquisitely-rendered and detailed images that will shed new light on the formation of universe as well as the galaxies and stars within it.” Cartwheel Galaxy (NIRCam and MIRI Composite Image) Stephan's Quintet (NIRCam and MIRI Composite Image)Īfter launching in December, the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) took approximately 30 days to reach its orbit near the second Lagrange point (L2) where it captured these images. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. “It is awe-inspiring to see these images, which are the culmination of more than 20 years of really hard work by thousands of people across multiple companies, government agencies and academic institutions,” said Dr. “Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula (NIRCam Image) We designed and built the advanced optical technology and lightweight mirror system that make these unprecedented images possible. Ball Aerospace is celebrating with NASA and all of the mission partners, as James Webb Space Telescope shares its first images with the world. ![]()
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