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Scientists to unveil largest astronomical space telescope after Hubble

Friday, 02 June 2017 9:37 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 02 June 2017 9:38 AM ]

This NASA photo released on May 16, 2017 shows the primary mirror of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope inside a cleanroom at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston,Texas where it will undergo its last cryogenic test before it is launched into space in 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Scientists in the United States are preparing to unveil what’s claimed to be the largest astronomical space telescope ever built.

The “James Webb Space Telescope” has been assembled and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on the outskirts of Washington.

JWST is an international project led by NASA and its partners the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. The telescope will help astronomers observe the earliest signs of galaxies.

That leads them to understand how galaxies form and develop over billions of years. The telescope is set for launch in October next year from French Guiana and has a mission lifetime of between five to ten years. It will have seven times more light gathering power than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.

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