Northrop Grumman Completes Next Critical Launch Milestones of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Spacecraft

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – Feb. 8, 2019 – NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Spacecraft Element (SCE) successfully completed acoustic and sine vibration testing at Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) in Redondo Beach.

Both halves of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are housed in Northrop Grumman’s cleanroom as they undergo ongoing testing and integration efforts.

Acoustic and sine vibration testing validates the structural design and verifies the mechanical workmanship and integrity of the actual flight SCE by subjecting it to simulated rigors of the launch environment.

“Mission success remains our focus for Webb, a first of its kind space telescope,” said Scott Willoughby, vice president and program manager, James Webb Space Telescope, Northrop Grumman. “Successful environmental testing of the SCE builds further confidence in its structural design integrity, built to withstand the stresses of launch.”

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Spacecraft Element during vibration testing at Northrop’s facility, in Redondo Beach, California.

The SCE was subjected to acoustic noise levels of 140.7 decibels (damage to hearing starts at 85dB while speakers at a concert can be as loud as 120dB or more), which simulated the high noise levels generated from rocket engines and turbulent air flow at high Mach speeds during launch. Vibration testing simulates the vibration and shaking Webb will experience during launch. During testing, the SCE was attached to a large electrodynamic shaker, vibrating it along three orthogonal axes. This back-and-forth or “sinusoidal” vibration was applied by starting at a low, subsonic frequency of 5 hertz (cycles per second) and “sweeping” up to a medium frequency of 100 hertz in the course of just over one minute. Ultimately, the SCE was subjected to protoflight vibration levels required to simulate a rocket launch experience. Testing on the ground assures that Webb can successfully withstand the rigors of its journey to space.

The completion of acoustic and sine vibration testing advances Webb’s SCE to its final environmental test, thermal vacuum testing. Post thermal vacuum testing, Webb will return to Northrop’s clean room for full deployment and integration of the Optical Telescope Element/Integrated Science Instrument Module later this year.

 The James Webb Space Telescope will be the world’s premier space science observatory of the next decade. Webb will solve mysteries of our solar system, look to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and the origins of our universe. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on its way to acoustics testing at Northrop’s large acoustic test facility in Redondo Beach, California.

Team members from NASA and Northrop Grumman observing NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Spacecraft Element being placed at Northrop’s large acoustic test facility, in Redondo Beach, California, in preparation for acoustics testing.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Two Halves Powered for the First Time in One Building at Northrop Grumman

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – June 20, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has successfully powered up the two main parts of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a significant event in the test and integration phase of the program.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope OTIS (far right) and SCE (far left) featured in Northrop Grumman’s Redondo Beach highbay.

The Webb Telescope’s Optical Telescope element/Integrated Science instrument module (OTIS) and Spacecraft Element (SCE), which includes the sunshield and spacecraft bus, were separately powered at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Redondo Beach. This is the first time both halves were powered in the same building.

“This is a significant, first-time event for the program and for the team,” said Scott Willoughby, vice president and program manager, James Webb Space Telescope, Northrop Grumman. “To power both OTIS and SCE moves us one step closer to readying the Webb for the next integration steps.”

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope OTIS (far left) and SCE (mid picture) featured in Northrop Grumman’s Redondo Beach highbay.

In the highbay, engineers use external power supplies, similar to chargers, which convert wall power to a source compatible with the spacecraft. This power is used to turn on the spacecraft and provides power to simulate what it will eventually use on orbit. Once in space, Webb will use solar arrays to operate the bus subsystems as well as the Science Instrument Payload.

The Spacecraft Element recently underwent a successful mechanical shock test in May. It was tested by simulating the mechanical shock caused by the separation of the spacecraft’s payload adapter after launch. SCE will receive additional testing before being combined with the OTIS to form the complete James Webb Space Telescope observatory. Once the telescope is fully integrated, the entire observatory will undergo more tests during what is called observatory-level testing.

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the world’s premier space science observatory of the next decade. Webb will solve mysteries of our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.