Harris Corporation Successfully Completes Testing for James Webb Space Telescope
November 20 2017 - 10:30AM
Business Wire
Highlights:
- World’s most powerful space telescope
will collect universe data never previously observed
- Represents last significant test before
telescope is integrated with spacecraft
- Integration culminates 15 years of work
by Harris team
Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has partnered with NASA’s Johnson
Space Center to successfully complete thermal vacuum testing for
the James Webb Space Telescope – validating its ability to operate
in the frigid space environment.
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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope sits
inside Chamber A at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after
having completed its cryogenic testing on Nov. 18, 2017. This
marked the telescope’s final cryogenic testing, and it ensured the
observatory is ready for the frigid, airless environment of space.
(Photo: NASA/Chris Gunn)
The Webb telescope will be the premier space observatory of the
next decade, and will study galaxy, star and planet formation in
the universe. Harris’ team helped safeguard the telescope in
Houston during Hurricane Harvey and ensured uninterrupted testing –
including monitoring more than 1,000 sensors on the telescope
around the clock. In addition, Harris designed a multi-wavelength
interferometer system that aligned 18 mirror segments into one
6.5-meter phased primary mirror to verify optical quality and
placement.
“This testing culminates 15 years of hard work by our Harris
team," said Rob Mitrevski, vice president and general manager,
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Harris Space and
Intelligence Systems. "This extraordinary program is certain to
dramatically increase our knowledge of the universe.”
Harris engineers integrated all 18 mirror segments on the Webb
telescope, as well as designed and installed the cryogenic test
equipment, including a simulator to mimic the temperature of the
Sun. Harris also built the structure that held and isolated the
telescope during vibration and acoustic testing.
With environmental, thermal and optical tests complete, the Webb
telescope will be shipped to California, where it will be
integrated with the spacecraft, forming the complete observatory.
The Webb telescope is designed to unravel some of the greatest
mysteries of the universe, from discovering the first stars and
galaxies that formed after the big bang to studying the atmospheres
of planets around other stars. It is a joint project of NASA, ESA
(the European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
About Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving
customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing
solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports
government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and
has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is
organized into three business segments: Communication Systems,
Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems. Learn more
at harris.com.
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Space and Intelligence SystemsIrene Lockwood,
585-269-5517irene.lockwood@harris.comorHarris CorporationJim
Burke, 321-727-9131jim.burke@harris.com
Harris (NYSE:HRS)
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