Baltimore, May 9. NIRSpec (Near Infrared Spectrograph), a key instrument on Webb (the James Webb Space Telescope) has successfully passed all its functional tests including subsystems and mechanisms and is one step nearer to delivering its first results.
The NIRSpec commissioning team, including Airbus experts, performed the tests as Webb is cooling down to cryogenic temperatures, enabling it to operate without infrared disturbances that could affect its observations. The telescope is approaching its operational temperature of about -235 °C (38 K), and the successful testing is an extremely important milestone in the commissioning of NIRSpec.
“The Webb telescope will be a turning point in the way we see our Universe,” said Jean Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems. “Our contributions to the NIRSpec and MIRI instruments represent the pinnacle of technology in modern astronomy. At Airbus, we will bring our unrivaled experience and will be a key partner in the future discoveries of the Webb mission.”
Since Webb’s launch, team members from Airbus sites in Munich and Friedrichshafen have constantly monitored the cool down from the Mission Operations Center at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore (Maryland, USA).
