JWST Project History

The links below provide the history of the conception and development of JWST thus far. These pages are partly based on a presentation given by Peter Stockman (JWST/STScI Project Scientist) at the 2001 Hubble Fellows Symposium.

Prior to September 10, 2002, the JWST was known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). In the pages below we will reference the name of the observatory that was in use at the time of a given milestone.

1989-1994 Conception, the early years
1995-1996 Stepping up the bid, going for 8 meters
1997-2001 Reality hits, re-scope to 6m
2002 Selecting the partners
2003 Working on the Detailed Design

Please follow these links if you want more detailed information on the current status and the current design of the JWST.