Article was originally published in Rochester Business Journal, link to original article here.
The world's largest and most complex space science observatory launched last month and is readying to explore every phase of cosmic history, thanks to assistance from employees at L3Harris' Space and Airborne Systems' local operation. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is a large, infrared-optimized telescope designed to study the formation of the first stars and galaxies, the evolution of galaxies, the production of elements by stars and the process of star and planet formation.
Webb successfully launched Christmas Day from French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America.
Those from L3Harris' Space and Airborne Systems in Rochester who watched had a special connection with the launch, including Tony Whitman, who is the cryogenic optical test director for the James Webb Space Telescope at L3Harris.
I was excited and relieved, he said of the launch. Whitman - who began working on the project in 2003 - said it has spanned a roughly 20-year period and involved some 100 engineers and 200 other employees from L3Harris over that time.
In addition, L3Harris worked with upwards of 20 regional companies, including purchasing custom parts from them for the project, he added.
L3Harris has a history of working on NASA projects, dating back to the firm's origins as Eastman Kodak's Co.'s Remote Sensing Systems.
For Webb, the local team orchestrated the integration and test for the Optical Telescope Element on the nearly $10 billion telescope.
The Optical Telescope Element (OTE) is the eye of the James Webb Space Telescope Observatory. It gathers the light coming from space and provides it to the science instruments. The OTE consists of the mirrors as well as structures and subsystems that support the optics.
As part of the NASA team, L3Harris integrated components made by various partners to form the Optical Telescope Element, which will collect light and provide sharp images of deep space. L3Harris also combined the components of the Integrated Science Instrument Module, which hosts four cameras and spectrographs for gathering data.
L3Harris later administered roughly 100 days of testing in a cryogenic vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center in Houston to ensure the telescope elements perform in the harsh environment found in space.
While some may have found it challenging to work on one project for some two decades, Whitman said the project involved several distinct phases.
The job changed as the project progressed, he said.
He noted he is proud the team was able to meet the unprecedented test requirements for the program and do the work on schedule in a timely manner.
Not only did the team face challenges related to the development of the largest space telescope ever made, but they also had to make sure it could withstand temperatures that registered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, he explained.
Whitman said that number is well below the lowest temperature commonly used as a benchmark in the cryptogenic industry and close to absolute zero, which is the lowest temperature possible and when atoms stop moving.
We definitely knew we had a lot to figure out and we also the space exploration field and the local operation is hiring for a range of positions, including engineers, knew we would get there, he said.
As the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb will take one month to travel 1.5 million kilometers - or 940,000 miles - to a point in space where it will be balanced between the gravity of the Earth and the sun, NASA reported. The first images from the telescope are expected this summer.
The premier mission is the scientific successor to NASA's iconic Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, built to complement and further the scientific discoveries of these and other missions.
Webb will be located much farther from Earth than Hubble and will contain a tennis court-sized sun-shade that will keep the telescope cold, which is necessary for viewing infrared light.
The telescope's technology will explore every phase of cosmic history - from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, to everything in between. Webb will reveal new and unexpected discoveries and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it, according to NASA.
The James Webb Space Telescope represents the ambition that NASA and our partners maintain to propel us forward into the future, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. The promise of Webb is not what we know we will discover; it's what we don't yet understand or can't yet fathom about our universe.
L3Harris is now focused on additional projects in the space exploration field and the local operation is hiring for a range of positions, including engineers, machinists, and technicians.
One such project is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a Hubble-sized telescope targeted for launch no later than 2027.
Whitman is the chief systems engineer, optical telescope assembly for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as the force behind the universe's expansion, and search for distant planets beyond our solar system.
The telescope is another tool that will help scientists with space exploration, Whitman noted.
A lot of science will be learned with this, he said.
# # #
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
Article was originally published in Rochester Business Journal, link to original article here.
