The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. Its high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. This enables a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as the observation of the first stars, the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
Development began in 1996 for a launch initially planned for 2007, under the name Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). It was renamed in 2002 after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 and played an integral role in the Apollo program. After numerous delays and cost overruns, JWST was launched on December 25, 2021. It is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Since releasing its first full-color images in July 2022, JWST has revolutionized astronomy. It has provided the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date, discovered the earliest known galaxies, and analyzed the atmospheres of exoplanets in unprecedented detail. Its findings are rewriting textbooks on galaxy formation and stellar evolution, and it captures the public imagination with its stunning imagery.