The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST will provide direct imaging and medium resolution spectroscopy (R~3000) over the wavelength range 5 - 28.3 micron, coronagraphic imaging at 10.65, 11.4, 15.5 and 23 micron, and low resolution spectroscopy (R~100) over the wavelength range 5 - 10 micron. JWST's cold, large aperture and MIRI's state-of-the-art detector arrays are expected to provide ~50 times the sensitivity and 7 times the angular resolution of Spitzer. As a result, MIRI is expected to make important contributions to all four of the primary science themes for JWST: 1.) discovery of the "first light"; 2.) assembly of galaxies: history of star formation, growth of black holes, production of heavy elements; 3.) how stars and planetary systems form; and 4.) evolution of planetary systems and conditions for life.
MIRI is jointly developed by the US and a nationally funded European Consortium (EC) under the auspices of the European Space Agency. George Rieke (University of Arizona) and Gillian Wright (UK Astronomy Technology Centre) are the MIRI Science Leads. JPL chairs joint overall management and system engineering teams, and is responsible for the focal plane system and the flight software. The EC is responsible for the optics, optical bench, and assembly, integration, and test of the MIRI instrument.
Latest News
May 31, 2012
The MIRI flight model was flown from London Heathrow airport to Washington Dulles International Airport on May 29, 2012. It was subsequently trucked to Goddard Space Flight Center and unpacked on May 30th. It now rests in the clean-room awaiting integration into the ISIM. View MIRI and monitor the progress of ISIM integration.
May 25, 2011
The flight model of MIRI "sees" for the first time in the Space Test Chamber at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL). Read more about MIRI First Light.
September 30, 2010
MIRI flight model is being tested at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in UK using a specially designed chamber developed at RAL to reproduce the environment at L2.
Read more on ESA News Release.