James Webb Space Telescope

Active

The most powerful space telescope ever built and the premier observatory of the next decade. JWST peers deeper into space and further back in time than any telescope before, revolutionizing our understanding of the universe from the first galaxies to nearby exoplanets.

Type

Space Observatory

Launch Date

December 25, 2021

Landing Date

January 24, 2022

Location

L2 Lagrange Point

Latest Scientific Discovery

Live Mission Data

Recent Discoveries

Latest Deep Space Observatory Images

Mission Achievements

✓Captured the deepest infrared images of the universe ever taken
✓Detected the most distant galaxy ever observed (JADES-GS-z13-0, 13.4 billion years old)
✓First direct spectroscopic analysis of exoplanet atmospheres in unprecedented detail
✓Discovered water vapor in the atmosphere of rocky exoplanet K2-18 b
✓Revealed stellar nurseries hidden behind cosmic dust clouds
✓Observed galaxies that formed just 400 million years after the Big Bang
✓Detected complex organic molecules in distant galaxies
✓Captured detailed images of star formation in nearby galaxies
✓Analyzed atmospheric composition of multiple exoplanets simultaneously

Mission Objectives

▸Study the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the early universe
▸Investigate the assembly and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time
▸Understand the birth of stars and planetary systems
▸Characterize exoplanet atmospheres and search for signs of habitability
▸Explore objects within our own solar system from Mars to Kuiper Belt
▸Test and refine our understanding of dark matter and dark energy

Scientific Instruments

•NIRCam: Near Infrared Camera - primary imaging instrument for wavelengths 0.6-5 micrometers
•NIRSpec: Near Infrared Spectrograph - spectroscopy of up to 100 objects simultaneously
•MIRI: Mid-Infrared Instrument - imaging and spectroscopy at 5-28 micrometers
•FGS/NIRISS: Fine Guidance Sensor/Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph
•Primary Mirror: 6.5-meter segmented mirror with 18 hexagonal segments
•Sunshield: Five-layer shield the size of a tennis court protecting instruments