Irish innovation helps to drive exciting space mission

Images of the Webb telescope moving into space on Christmas Day came from Irish company Réaltra’s technology. Image: ESA/Arianespace

Bryan Rodgers

Irish eyes were focused on the skies on Christmas Eve, not in the hope of spotting Santa or a stray reindeer, but rather at one of the biggest space launches in recent years – the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST, or simply Webb), the next great space science observatory following the famous Hubble Telescope. The Webb telescope will now reside one-and-a-half million kilometres from Earth, hovering in line with our planet as it orbits the Sun.

Over 25 years in development, the Webb telescope aims to answer more questions about the development of the Universe than ever before, with the ability to look back 13.5 billion years in time to observe the birth of the first galaxies and the lifecycle of stars and exoplanets. This major breakthrough is the result of an international project led by NASA with its partners the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – with two Irish companies and an Irish research institute playing significant roles in the development of the Webb’s scientific instruments and in its launch into space.