Researchers in Israel and the United States are developing a modern telescope that will be more than seven times larger than the James Webb Space Telescope, a project previously considered impossible due to size constraints.
The James Webb Space Telescope, already the largest telescope that could fit within a rocket’s payload compartment, may soon be eclipsed by an even more ambitious project. Scientists are now working on a next-generation telescope exceeding the Webb telescope’s scale by a factor of seven. This development hinges on a technology that was previously thought unattainable, signaling a potential leap forward in astronomical observation.
The James Webb Space Telescope, launched on December 25, 2021, currently orbits the Sun 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Earth, a location known as the second Lagrange point or L2. It studies every phase in the history of our Universe, from the earliest galaxies born after the Big Bang to the potential for life on other planets. The telescope’s design was revolutionary, requiring it to fold “origami-style” to fit inside the rocket and then unfold in space like a “Transformer.”
The new telescope project builds on the success of the James Webb Space Telescope, which has already provided unprecedented images of the cosmos, including a recent view of galaxy MoM-z14 as it appeared only 280 million years after the Big Bang. The Webb telescope’s five-layer sunshield provides an SPF of 1 million, protecting it from infrared radiation. This level of sensitivity allows it to peer back over 13.5 billion years into the universe’s past.
Details regarding the specific technologies enabling the larger telescope remain limited, but the project represents a significant advancement in the field of astrophysics. The ability to construct a telescope of this magnitude could unlock new insights into the origins of the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life. This development underscores the ongoing drive for innovation in space exploration and the pursuit of deeper understanding of the cosmos.
Michael Kaplan, a Jewish space engineer and former NASA veteran, celebrated the results from the James Webb Space Telescope as a “blessing,” stating, “Why wouldn’t we expect that the universe that God created be a stunning Universe, right? I mean, in a sense it’s just as I expected.” Kaplan, who worked on the JWST for over a quarter of a century, added, “As classic as humans are, humans have looked up at the stars, and wondered. It’s one of the oldest sciences, and we’ve always thought and wondered, ‘What’s up there? What are we looking at?’ I’m still a little bit in awe over the pictures I saw earlier today.”
The James Webb telescope is currently coasting to its final orbit around the sun at “L2,” a point in space about a million miles farther out from the sun than Earth. The telescope’s complex design, including its heatshield and primary mirror, required flawless execution, as no existing technology allows for in-space repairs. The $10 billion project has so far exceeded expectations, with NASA announcing that the launch was so precisely aimed that the telescope’s operational lifespan could be extended beyond the initial ten-year estimate.
