NASA's successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, is an international effort involving multiple countries that will build, launch, and utilize the observatory to its fullest potential.
Thousands of engineers, technicians, and scientists from 14 countries have contributed to build, test, and optimize the Webb telescope. 258 entities -- universities, agencies, and companies -- have participated in total. 12 of these come from Canada, 104 from EU nations, and 142 from the U.S.
The successor to Hubble will launch its journey into space on Oct. 31, 2021. The date was determined after a risk evaluation on the remaining integration and testing activities prior to the launch was completed. The date of the launch suggested earlier was March 2021.
Continuous construction of the massive telescope continues to go smoothly at Northrop Grumman, the business partner of the project, despite the challenges posed by the health crisis COVID-19. The team had already made considerable strides in remaining on budget before the pandemic.
Most NASA facilities turned to mandatory telework to stop the spread of the coronavirus. This caused many missions, including the telescope, to slow progress.
"Webb is the world's most complex space observatory, and our top science priority, and we've worked hard to keep progress moving during the pandemic," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. The team continues to be focused on reaching milestones and arriving at the technical solutions that will see us through to this new launch date next year."
In early 2021, Webb will be delivered to the launch site and installed in the Arianespace 5 launch vehicle fairing, which is about 16 feet (5 meters ) wide.
Webb's journey into space will be the first of its kind, involving a series of complicated deployments that are integral to orbiting about a million miles from Earth. After entering orbit, the telescope will open and expose five impressive layers of its sunshield before it reaches the size of a tennis court. Then the 6.5-meter main mirror, the device that detects the faint twinkle of distant stars and galaxies, is deployed.
NASA does not want to label Webb as a substitute for Hubble. Rather, Webb is its successor - the next great space observatory that will reveal more about our solar system and far-off worlds, stars, and all the mysteries of the universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope is an international program headed by NASA along with its partners, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA).
