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2023•arXiv (Cornell University)Open access

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission: Optical Telescope Element Design, Development, and Performance

Michael W. McElwain, Lee D. Feinberg, Marshall D. Perrin, Mark Clampin, C. M. Mountain, Matthew Lallo, Charles-Philippe Lajoie, Randy A. Kimble, Charles W. Bowers, Christopher C. Stark, D. Scott Acton, Ken Aiello, Charles M. Atkinson, Beth Barinek, Allison Barto, Scott A. Basinger, Tracy L. Beck, Matthew D. Bergkoetter, Marcel Bluth, Rene A. Boucarut, Gregory R. Brady, Keira Brooks, Brown, Bob, John Byard, Larkin Carey, María Cristina Carrasquilla, Sid Celeste, Dan Chae, David Chaney, P. Chayer, Taylor S. Chonis, Lester M. Cohen, Helen J. Cole, Thomas Comeau, Matthew Coon, Eric Coppock, Laura Coyle, Rick D. Davis, Bruce H. Dean, Kenneth J. Dziak, Michael Eisenhower, Nicolas Flagey, Randy Franck, Benjamin Gallagher, Larry Gilman, Tiffany Glassman, Gary Golnik, Joseph J. Green, John P. Grieco, Shari Haase, Theodore J. Hadjimichael, John G. Hagopian, Walter G. Hahn, G. Hartig, Keith Havey, William L. Hayden, Robert Hellekson, Brian M. Hicks, S. T. Holfeltz, Joseph M. Howard, Jesse A. Huguet, Brian Jahne, Leslie A. Johnson, John D. Johnston, Alden S. Jurling, Jeffrey R. Kegley, Scott Kennard, Ritva Keski-Kuha, J. Scott Knight, B. A. Kulp, Joshua S. Levi, Marie Levine, Paul A. Lightsey, Robert A. Luetgens, John C. Mather, Gary Matthews, Andrew McKay, Kimberly I. Mehalick, M. Meléndez, Ted Messer, Gary E. Mosier, Jess Murphy, Edmund Nelan, M. B. Niedner, Darin M. Noël, Catherine M. Ohara, Raymond G. Ohl, Eugene Olczak, Shannon Osborne, Sang Chan Park, Kevin Patton, Charles M. Perrygo, Laurent Pueyo, Lisbeth Quesnel, Dale Ranck, David C. Redding, Michael W. Regan, Paul R. Reynolds, Rich Rifelli, Jane R. Rigby, Derek Sabatke, Babak N. Saif, Thomas R. Scorse, Byoung-Joon Seo, Fang Shi, Norbert Sigrist, Koby Smith, J. Scott Smith, Erin Smith, Sangmo Tony Sohn, John F. Spina, Harald Stahl, Randal Telfer, Todd Terlecki, S. Texter, David Van Buren, Julie M. Van Campen, Begoña Vila, Mark F. Voyton, Mark Waldman, Chanda Walker, Nick Weiser, Conrad Wells, Garrett West, Tony Whitman, Eric Wick, Erin Wolf, Greg Young, Thomas P. Zielinski

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Abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared space telescope that has recently started its science program which will enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and planetary science. Notably, JWST will provide the very first observations of the earliest luminous objects in the Universe and start a new era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. This transformative science is enabled by a 6.6 m telescope that is passively cooled with a 5-layer sunshield. The primary mirror is comprised of 18 controllable, low areal density hexagonal segments, that were aligned and phased relative to each other in orbit using innovative image-based wavefront sensing and control algorithms. This revolutionary telescope took more than two decades to develop with a widely distributed team across engineering disciplines. We present an overview of the telescope requirements, architecture, development, superb on-orbit performance, and lessons learned. JWST successfully demonstrates a segmented aperture space telescope and establishes a path to building even larger space telescopes.

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared space telescope that has recently started its science program which will enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and planetary science. Notably, JWST will provide the very first observations of the earliest luminous objects in the Universe and start a new era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. This transformative science is enabled by a 6.6 m telescope that is passively cooled with a 5-layer sunshield. The primary mirror is comprised of 18 controllable, low areal density hexagonal segments, that were aligned and phased relative to each other in orbit using innovative image-based wavefront sensing and control algorithms. This revolutionary telescope took more than two decades to develop with a widely distributed team across engineering disciplines. We present an overview of the telescope requirements, architecture, development, superb on-orbit performance, and lessons learned. JWST successfully demonstrates a segmented aperture space telescope and establishes a path to building even larger space telescopes.

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Available abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared space telescope that has recently started its science program which will enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and planetary science. Notably, JWST will provide the very first observations of the earliest luminous objects in the Universe and start a new era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. This transformative science is enabled by a 6.6 m telescope that is passively cooled with a 5-layer sunshield. The primary mirror is comprised of 18 controllable, low areal density hexagonal segments, that were aligned and phased relative to each other in orbit using innovative image-based wavefront sensing and control algorithms. This revolutionary telescope took more than two decades to develop with a widely distributed team across engineering disciplines. We present an overview of the telescope requirements, architecture, development, superb on-orbit performance, and lessons learned. JWST successfully demonstrates a segmented aperture space telescope and establishes a path to building even larger space telescopes.

Key concepts: James Webb Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Telescope, Physics, Primary mirror, Optical telescope, Astronomy, Remote sensing

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