Today, December 25, 2021, the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) has been launched into space on the "Ariane 5" rocket. Because of its longer wavelengths, the infrared space telescope will be able to look even closer at the beginnings of time, explore the unobserved formations of the first galaxies, and peer into dust nebulae where stars and planetary systems are formed today.
Complementing the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, the joint project of the space agencies NASA, ESA and CSA, conceived in the 1990s, will launch its six-plus-meter mirrors into space from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana. The JWST is equipped with traveling wave tubes from Thales, which form the backbone of research missions not least because of their robustness and efficiency. The technology has shaped our knowledge of space through its reliability and has made a significant contribution to space exploration.
More information about traveling wave tubes in space can be found on our new Traveling Wave Tubes Space Adventures website.