The Webb Space Telescope’s orbit will place it out of reach of astronauts, so it’s important to have perfect control of the telescope from Earth. At Northrop Grumman, engineers are testing the telescope’s responses to controllers and simulating the conditions it’ll face in space.... Read More

Webb’s giant primary mirror is its most striking feature, but several more mirrors help control the flow of light through the telescope. Meet the secondary, tertiary, and fine-steering mirrors.... Read More

The Webb Space Telescope’s mirror has nearly seven times the area of the Hubble Space Telescope’s. In order to launch it into space, the mirror is made out of segments that will be folded up inside the rocket that carries it into orbit. At Marshall Space Flight Center, segments are being tested in the vacuum chamber to expose them to space temperatures.... Read More