James Webb Space Telescope
The
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a planned orbital
infrared observatory, intended (in part) to replace the aging
Hubble Space Telescope. Formerly called the
Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), it was renamed after
NASA's second administrator, James E. Webb, in
2002. The telescope's launch is planned for sometime between
2009 and
2011. Its orbit (at the L2
lagrangian point point, around 1.5 million km from Earth) is considerably beyond the maximum altitude achievable using the
Space Shuttle, so JWST will probably be placed in orbit using a European
Ariane 5 launcher. This height also means that, unlike Hubble, it will not be possible to repair or upgrade the observatory during its 5-10 year design life.
Although JWST has a planned weight half that of the Hubble, its primary mirror (a 6.5 meter segmented beryllium reflector) is more than 5 times larger.
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