NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Has Been Assembled for the First Time
September 3, 2019 | NASAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

Reaching a major milestone, engineers have successfully connected the two halves of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope for the first time at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Redondo Beach, California. Once it reaches space, NASA's most powerful and complex space telescope will explore the cosmos using infrared light, from planets and moons within our solar system to the most ancient and distant galaxies.
Image Caption: The fully assembled James Webb Space Telescope with its sunshield and unitized pallet structures (UPSs) that fold up around the telescope for launch, are seen partially deployed to an open configuration to enable telescope installation. Credits: NASA/Chris Gunn
To combine both halves of Webb, engineers carefully lifted the Webb telescope (which includes the mirrors and science instruments) above the already-combined sunshield and spacecraft using a crane. Team members slowly guided the telescope into place, ensuring that all primary points of contact were perfectly aligned and seated properly. The observatory has been mechanically connected; next steps will be to electrically connect the halves, and then test the electrical connections.
“The assembly of the telescope and its scientific instruments, sunshield and the spacecraft into one observatory represents an incredible achievement by the entire Webb team,” said Bill Ochs, Webb project manager for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This milestone symbolizes the efforts of thousands of dedicated individuals for over more than 20 years across NASA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, Northrop Grumman, and the rest of our industrial and academic partners.”
Next up for Webb testing, engineers will fully deploy the intricate five-layer sunshield, which is designed to keep Webb's mirrors and scientific instruments cold by blocking infrared light from the Earth, Moon and Sun. The ability of the sunshield to deploy to its correct shape is critical to mission success.
“This is an exciting time to now see all Webb’s parts finally joined together into a single observatory for the very first time,” said Gregory Robinson, the Webb program director at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “The engineering team has accomplished a huge step forward and soon we will be able to see incredible new views of our amazing universe.”
Both of the telescope’s major components have been tested individually through all of the environments they would encounter during a rocket ride and orbiting mission a million miles away from Earth. Now that Webb is a fully assembled observatory, it will go through additional environmental and deployment testing to ensure mission success. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2021.
Webb will be the world's premier space science observatory. It will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Canadian Space Agency.
Suggested Items
TT Electronics Secures Multi-Million-Pound Defense Contract with Ultra PCS
07/18/2025 | TT ElectronicsTT Electronics, a leading provider of global manufacturing solutions and engineered technologies, announced that it has been awarded a significant new contract with long-standing customer Ultra PCS Ltd (Ultra Precision Control Systems).
NEOTech’s Agave 1 Facility Earns AS9100 Certification for Commercial Aerospace Manufacturing Excellence
07/17/2025 | NEOTechNEOTech, a premier provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), integrated design engineering, and advanced supply chain solutions for the aerospace and defense, medical device, and high-tech industrial markets, proudly announces that its Agave 1 manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico has officially received AS9100 certification.
NASA to Preview Advanced US-India Radar Mission Ahead of Launch
07/17/2025 | NASA JPLThe NISAR satellite, a collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, will provide a three-dimensional view of Earth in unprecedented detail.
Federal Electronics Invests in HydroJet Inline Cleaning Technology at Hermosillo Facility
07/15/2025 | Federal ElectronicsFederal Electronics, a leader in providing advanced electronic manufacturing services, has strengthened the advanced cleaning capabilities of its Hermosillo, Mexico facility with the recent installation of a HydroJet Inline Cleaner from Austin American Technology (AAT).
Japan’s OHISAMA Project Aims to Beam Solar Power from Space This Year
07/14/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamJapan could be on the cusp of making history with its OHISAMA project in its quest to become the first country to transmit solar power from space to Earth, The Volt reported.