REDONDO BEACH, Calif.,
Aug. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- The first of the five sunshield layers that will make it
possible for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to image the
formation of stars and galaxies created more than 13.5 billion
years ago, was delivered to Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:
NOC) Space Park facility April 24.
Northrop Grumman is designing the Webb Telescope's optics,
sunshield and spacecraft for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in
Greenbelt, Maryland Innovative
sunshield membranes are being designed and manufactured by NeXolve
Corporation, a subsidiary of ManTech International Corporation
(NASDAQ: MANT) of Huntsville,
Alabama.
The Webb Telescope will be the largest telescope in space. Its
sunshield, which is the size of a tennis court, is constructed with
five individual layers of Kapton, which effectively reduces the
temperatures between the hot and cold sides of the observatory by
approximately 570 degrees Fahrenheit. Each successive layer
of the sunshield is cooler than the one below, preventing the
interference of background heat with the telescope's infrared
sensor.
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=35110.
"Through extensive testing we have proven that the innovative
sunshield design works," said Jim
Flynn, Webb sunshield
manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We are thrilled to
receive the first flight layer from NeXolve as we prepare for 2018
launch."
NeXolve is manufacturing the other four layers and will
individually shape-test each to ensure they meet requirements. This
delivery to Northrop Grumman signifies the beginning of final
flight hardware completion for the sunshield. Next, Northrop
Grumman will integrate the final flight layers into the sunshield
subsystem, to conduct folding and deployment testing as part of the
final system validation process.
"Our entire ManTech team has worked diligently to achieve the
manufacturing completion of the first sunshield layer and
successfully deliver it to our partners at Northrop Grumman," said
Greg Laue, sunshield program
manager, NeXolve. "Delivery of the first flight layer is the
culmination of years of development and manufacturing and we are
thrilled to have accomplished this major program milestone."
The Webb Telescope is the world's next-generation space
observatory and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The most
powerful space telescope ever built, the Webb Telescope will
observe distant objects in the universe, provide images of the
first galaxies formed and see unexplored planets around distant
stars. The Webb Telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European
Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
About ManTech
ManTech is a leading provider of innovative technologies and
solutions for mission-critical national security programs.
ManTech's expertise includes C4ISR; cybersecurity; global
logistics; IT; intelligence; systems engineering; test and
evaluation; environmental, range and sustainability services; and
healthcare analytics and IT. Additional information on ManTech can
be found at www.mantech.com.
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SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation