Toray celebrates the successful launch of the historic James Webb Space Telescope
The joint mission between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has successfully launched the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) from Kourou, French Guiana. After a decade of testing and finetuning, the most complex and powerful telescope ever constructed was sent into the stars designed to look deeper into space than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990.
The James Webb Telescope comprises a diverse assortment of cutting-edge technology, including Toray Advanced Composite’s innovative composite materials. In collaboration with Northrop Grumman Aerospace, Toray Advanced Composites was chosen for this mission based on their heritage within the aerospace industry of engineering and manufacturing their high-quality, highly reliable composites for the structural design of the Optical Telescope Element (OTE), the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), and the Spacecraft Element (SCE). The James Webb Space Telescope joins Toray Advanced Composites’ long list of successful launches of other well-known aerospace projects, including Mars Perseverance Rover, Mars Ingenuity helicopter, and even the Kepler Space Telescope.
The telescope is outfitted with Toray Advanced Composites’ High Modulus Carbon-Cyanate Ester prepreg resin system. The advanced composites are engineered for precise strength and stiffness mechanical performance and are lightweight to carry out the mission in the extremely challenging environment of space.
“We are honored to be included as the fiber and prepreg material supplier for JWST and I can’t think of a program more well-suited to meet Toray’s core mission of contributing to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technology, and products,” says Eric Howard, Aerospace Sales Director of Toray Advanced Composites. “I think nearly all humans are inspired by the night sky on grand display, even to the unaided eye. As we extensively learned from Hubble (launched three decades ago), JWST is certain to enhance our knowledge of the heavens and is certain to foster curiosity and inspire the next generation of explorers, engineers, and scientists.”
