The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is the James Webb Space Telescope which is set to launch October 2018. Mission goals include searching for the first galaxies or luminous objects formed after the Big Bang, determine how galaxies evolved from their formation to now, observe first formation of stars and planets and measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems. The telescope will orbit 1.5 million km from earth and once launched it will not be possible for it to be repaired during its 5-10 year life span. This may be difficult with four science instruments on board which include a
Near Infrared Camera(NIRCam),
Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec),
Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and
Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS). The James Webb telescope will also host the worlds largest mirror sent into space measuring 6.5 meters wide.
Although the James Webb Space Telescope has specific objectives it wishes to achieve once launched I believe that these will change once it is used. For example one goal is to view the first objects formed after the big bang, some scientists now believe the big bang never happened due to new
equations and
theories. I guess we'll find out in the years following the launch in October 2018.
