L3Harris Integrated and Tested Critical Instruments on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope; First Images Unveiled

SA
Space & Airborne Systems
Jul 12, 2022 | 4 MINUTE Read

Image Gallery

Star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula
Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies
NGC 3132 - The Southern Ring Nebula
Hot Gas Giant Exoplanet Wasp-96 b
James Webb’s First Deep Field image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723
Star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula
The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars.
Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies
About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet have repeated close encounters.
NGC 3132 - The Southern Ring Nebula
The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth.
Hot Gas Giant Exoplanet Wasp-96 b
WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014.
James Webb’s First Deep Field image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723
Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — NASA, in partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), released the James Webb Space Telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data Tuesday, July 12. L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) engineers and technicians integrated the complex system of mirrors and rigorously tested the telescope’s hardware to simulate the harsh conditions of space. As the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope, Webb’s images will demonstrate the telescope’s full power and show that it is now ready to begin its mission.

L3Harris’ partnership with NASA spans decades beginning with miniaturized electronic tracking and pulse code technologies for early spacecraft; continuing through the Mercury, Apollo, space shuttle and International Space Station missions. The company is contributing to exciting new programs, such as building the optical telescope for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and designing and building the engineering development unit telescopes for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna in the company’s Rochester, N.Y. facilities.

Photo Link: James Webb Space Telescope | L3Harris™ Fast. Forward.

About L3Harris Technologies
L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across space, air, land, sea and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $17 billion in annual revenue and 47,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com.

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