After a launch now planned for 2018, the Webb telescope will orbit in a spot 1 million miles from Earth. It will be so powerful that NASA scientists say it will be able to see light emitted billions of light years ago by stars formed near the beginning of the universe.
In December, Marshall finished testing the telescope's main mirrors in its X-ray and Calibration Facility, proving that they will shrink to the proper shape in the frigid conditions of deep space. Scientists say this detailed design testing met the most daunting technical tasks of the telescope first in its development.
Huntsville is also home of ManTech International, where the micro-thin gold sunshields are being made. Layers of these sunshields, each thinner than a human hair, will protect the telescope from solar heat that would interfere with its ability to process infrared waves.