ESA Science & Technology - JWST

15 April 2020

Disruptions due to COVID-19 result in further delay to the schedule for JWST Cycle 1 GO/AR proposals. A revised deadline is not announced at this time. An update on the schedule will be provided on 1 June 2020.

28 June 2018After completion of an independent review, a new launch date for the James Webb Space Telescope has been announced: 30 March 2021.

31 March 2020

In a recent test, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed its primary mirror into the same configuration it will have when in space.

21 October 2019

The sunshield for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has passed a test critical to preparing the observatory for its 2021 launch. Technicians and engineers fully deployed and tensioned each of the sunshield's five layers, successfully putting the sunshield into the same position it will be in a million miles from Earth.

28 August 2019

Reaching a major milestone, engineers have successfully connected the two halves of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope for the first time at Northrop Grumman's facilities in Redondo Beach, California.

12 August 2019Technicians and engineers recently tested a key part of this choreography by successfully commanding Webb to deploy the support structure that holds its secondary mirror in place. This is a critical milestone in preparing the observatory for its journey to orbit. The next time this will occur will be when Webb is in space, and on its way to gaze...

4 June 2018In the last year, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and in particular the telescope and the instruments have passed some key milestones on their road towards launch, now planned for 2020.

18 October 2017As the James Webb Space Telescope progresses toward launch, the telescope and its scientific instruments are undergoing an arduous series of checks to ensure their flight readiness.