NASA unveils details of Hubble successor, the giant James Webb Space Telescope

By Peter Spinks
Updated April 28 2016 - 8:13pm, first published 7:43pm
Testing the mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope, which NASA will launch in 2018. Photo: Credit Ball Aerospace
Testing the mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope, which NASA will launch in 2018. Photo: Credit Ball Aerospace
The James Webb Space Telescope will be used to study this collection of carved knots of gas and dust in a small portion of the Monkey Head Nebula.
 Photo: Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
The James Webb Space Telescope will be used to study this collection of carved knots of gas and dust in a small portion of the Monkey Head Nebula. Photo: Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
The telescope's huge mirror is carefully installed. Photo: NASA
The telescope's huge mirror is carefully installed. Photo: NASA

The ultra-high-tech successor to the ageing Hubble Telescope will open an exciting new window on the cosmos, exploring unseen realms – some of which might harbour life, albeit not necessarily as we know it.

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