Northrop Grumman and ATK have completed the centre section of the primary mirror backplane support structure (PMBSS) that will fly on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, marking the completion of the telescope’s hardware development.
Being the first of the three sections of the backplane to be completed, PMBSS will support Webb’s beryllium mirrors, instruments, thermal control systems and other components during ground tests, launch, as well as during science operations.
The backplane will hold 18-segment, 21ft-diameter, primary mirror almost motionless during the telescope’s peering into deep space.
Measuring about 24ft x 12ft and weighing over 500lbs, the centre section of the 2,200lb primary mirror backplane is mandated to meet the thermal stability requirements.
The alignment of the telescope’s optics is held by PMBBS through the rigours of launch and over a various operating temperatures, which can withstand temperatures as cold as -406°F.
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By GlobalDataDuring science operations, the backplane will keep the 18 primary mirror segments prepared with enhanced accuracy, which will further form a single, pristine shaped primary mirror of telescope.
ATK has performed the design, construction and testing of the centre section backplane of Webb’s PMBSS, at its facilities in Magna, Utah.
The company has produced about 1,781 composite parts of the centre section, which were assembled together with 179 metallic fittings to offer accurate tolerance interfaces for the other elements of the telescope.
Following the launch, Webb will be used to observe the most distant objects in the universe, deliver images of the very first galaxies ever formed and study planets around distant stars.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, US, has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman for the design and development of Webb’s sunshield, telescope and spacecraft.
NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency have collaborated for the Webb Telescope project.
The Webb Telescope, which is a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and the next-generation space observatory, is claimed to be the most powerful space telescope ever built.
Image: Webb’s PMBSS was designed, constructed and tested at ATK’s Magna facility in Utah. Photo: ATK.
