ESA and NASA Sign
Agreement on James Webb Space Telescope and LISA Pathfinder
(19 June 2007) At a ceremony that took place today at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and NASA Administrator Michael Griffin signed the official agreements that define the terms of the co-operation on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder mission.
Signature of Memoranda of Understanding for JWST & LISA Pathfinder between NASA and ESA, at the Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, on 18 June 2007. From left to right : Mr Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator and Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General. (courtesy: ESA - S.Corvaja)
JWST is a mission involving international
co-operation between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to
investigate the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary
systems.
Although optimised to operate over a different range of
wavelengths, JWST is considered to be the successor of the Hubble Space
Telescope. It is due for launch in 2013 and will operate for at least five
years.
At the heart of the JWST observatory is a large telescope whose
primary mirror measures 6.5 metres in diameter (compared to 2.4 metres for
Hubble), providing a relatively large field of view.
A set of four
sophisticated instruments (including a fine guidance sensor for precision
pointing) will combine a superb imaging capability at visible and infrared
wavelengths together with various spectroscopic modes to learn more about the
chemistry and evolution of the objects populating our universe.
JWST
will be operated well outside the Earth's atmosphere at a point in deep space
called the 'second Lagrangian point' (L2), located at 1.5 million kilometres in
the direction opposite to the sun. From that location, this powerful space
observatory promises to revolutionise our view of the cosmos yet again - just
as Hubble did.
Real-size model of the JWST spacecraft on display in Dublin, Ireland, in June 2007. The whole JWST team poses in front of it. (courtesy: Fennell Photography)
Under the agreement, NASA - responsible for
the overall management and operations of the JWST mission - builds the
spacecraft, the telescope and the platform that will host the instruments. ESA
will provide the launch with an Ariane 5 ECA rocket.
NASA will also
provide one major instrument, the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), via the
University of Arizona. ESA will provide the Near-Infrared spectrograph
(NIRSpec) operating over similar wavelengths, with the detectors and slit
selector device provided by NASA.
A third onboard instrument, the
Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), is being built by a consortium of
nationally-funded European institutions (responsible for the MIRI optical
assembly) and NASA, with co-ordination via ESA. The fourth onboard instrument,
the Fine Guidance Sensor/Tuneable Filter Imager (FGS/TFI), will be provided by
the CSA.
"The signing of this agreement on the JWST, based on
longstanding and consolidated co-operation between ESA and NASA, will once
again make history," said Jean-Jacques Dordain. "In particular, we are very
proud to use Ariane 5 to put this great observatory into space."
"The
Hubble Space Telescope has paved the way for such cooperation, with Europe's
astronomers continuing to play their full part in the exploitation of Hubble's
observing time," Dordain added.
"This Europe/US synergy has enhanced
Hubble's scientific return and provided mutual benefits. I am confident that
the ESA/NASA collaboration on JWST will match, if not exceed, the results of
our previous joint efforts," Mr. Dordain concluded.
"We're delighted to
have ESA's participation on the James Webb Space Telescope," said NASA
Administrator Michael Griffin. "The tremendous scientific success of the Hubble
Space Telescope can be attributed to the cooperative efforts between our two
agencies. We expect that, as Hubble's successor, the James Webb Telescope also
will make profound astronomical observations and discoveries. When it does, we
can be proud that it too is a project based on international
cooperation."
LISA Pathfinder will pave the way for the LISA mission by testing in flight the very concept of the gravitational wave detection. It will put two test masses in a near-perfect gravitational free-fall and control and measure their motion with unprecedented accuracy. This is achieved through state-of-the-art technology comprising the inertial sensors, the laser metrology system, the drag-free control system and an ultra-precise micro-propulsion system. (courtesy: Astrium)
At today's signing ceremony, the heads of
the two agencies also signed an official agreement on the ESA-initiated Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder mission, currently due for
launch in early 2010. LISA Pathfinder is aimed at demonstrating the
technologies needed for the planned future joint ESA/NASA LISA mission to
detect gravitational waves in space and test the theory of General
Relativity.
Under this agreement, ESA will design, develop, launch and
operate the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. A consortium of European scientific
institutes will provide the LISA Technology Package (LTP), consisting of two
test masses in near-perfect gravitational free-fall and a sophisticated system
to measure and control their motion with unprecedented accuracy. NASA will
provide the Disturbance Reduction System Package. The DRS, which will make use
of the LTP sensors and metrology capability, is also designed to test drag-free
attitude control. The inclusion of both the LTP and DRS packages on board will
make it possible to compare and assess the performance of the two types of
actuator and relevant software, in preparation for LISA.
The James Webb
Space Telescope was formerly known as the Next Generation Space Telescope
(NGST). NASA and ESA, joined by the CSA, have collaborated on JWST since
1997.
(source: ESA)