NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Reaches Major Milestone in Path to Launch with the Completion and Delivery of Optical Teles...
May 24 2016 - 4:00PM
Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) delivery of the fully
integrated Optical Telescope Element (OTE) for NASA's James Webb
Space Telescope marks another major milestone toward the October
2018 launch of the largest telescope ever built for space.
Northrop Grumman delivered the OTE in March to NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Northrop Grumman is under
contract to Goddard and leads the industry team that designs and
develops the Webb Telescope, its sunshield and spacecraft. Northrop
Grumman has completed the integration, testing and delivery of the
telescope.
The Webb telescope's 18 hexagonal gold coated beryllium mirrors
are supported by the telescope structure. The OTE hardware is made
of the most precise graphite composite material system ever
created, and contributes to the Webb Telescope's ability to provide
an unprecedented exploratory view into the formation of the first
stars and galaxies formed over 13.5 billion years ago.
A photo accompanying this release is available at
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=40349
The precision manufacturing and integration of the 21.5 foot
telescope structure allow it to withstand the pressure and weight
of the launch loads when stowed inside the 15-foot-diameter fairing
of the Ariane 5 rocket. The cutting-edge design and transformer
like capabilities of the telescope structure allow it to fold-up
and fit inside the launch vehicle, and then deploy once the Webb
telescope reaches its ultimate destination, one million miles away
from earth. Furthermore, throughout travel and deployment, the
telescope simultaneously maintains its dimensional stability while
also operating at cryogenic or extremely cold temperatures,
approximately 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The telescope is
the world's first deployable structure of this size and dimensional
stability ever designed and built.
"The significant milestone of completing and delivering the OTE
to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, marks the completion of the
telescope, and attests to the commitment of our hardworking team,"
said Scott Texter, telescope manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace
Systems. "The telescope structure is one of the four main elements
of this revolutionary observatory. The other elements include: the
spacecraft, sunshield and the Integrated Science Instrument Module
(ISIM), the latter of which is also complete. All of the elements
require a collaborative team effort. We are all committed to the
cause and excited about the upcoming phases of development as we
prepare for launch in October 2018."
The next step in the progress of the telescope structure
includes its integration with the ISIM to combine the OTE and ISIM,
referred to as the OTIS. The OTIS will undergo vibration and
acoustic testing by the end of this year, and then travel to NASA's
Johnson Space Center in Houston, to undergo optical testing at
vacuum and operational cryogenic temperatures, around 40 kelvin.
The OTIS will be delivered to Northrop Grumman's Space Park
facility in Redondo Beach, towards the end of 2017, where it will
be integrated with the sunshield and spacecraft.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's next-generation
space observatory and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The
most powerful space telescope ever built, the Webb Telescope will
observe the most distant objects in the universe, provide images of
the first galaxies formed and see unexplored planets around distant
stars. The Webb Telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European
Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems,
cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to government
and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
CONTACT: Connie Reese
310-812-3166
connie.reese@ngc.com
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