Behind the Development of the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope has provided some stunning images from the distant reaches of outer space that are giving new information about the early formation of the universe. During the recent DesignCon Show in Santa Clara, Jon Arenberg, Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration at Northrop Grumman, gave a packed room a fascinating look at the breakthrough telescope.

Arenberg’s keynote presentation included several slides showing the telescope's development, from concept to construction to some of the first images from the telescope, which was launched into space December 2021. Design News recently interviewed Arenberg about the challenges faced in building and testing the massive, complex telescope.

You can see some of these behind-the-scenes images in the following gallery.