Northrop Builds Spacecraft Bus for Webb Telescope

Northrop Grumman has completed the production and assembly of the spacecraft bus for NASA‘s James Webb Space Telescope at Northrop’s Redondo Beach facility in California.

The company said Thursday the structure is made of carbon fiber composites and works to integrate Webb’s optical telescope, instrument electronics and sunshield.

It also houses the propulsion system, communications system and electrical power, and mounts Webb to the Ariane 5 rocket, which will bring the observatory to space.

Northrop collaborates with industry partners and the Goddard Space Flight Center to complete the program.

Andy Cohen, manager for the Webb Telescope spacecraft at Northrop’s aerospace systems business, noted that the program will move forward to structure test, propulsion integration and spacecraft integration by July.