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 ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
18/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...
18/08/2026
Command Frame for After Effects
Scott Black August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources
Want to t...
18/08/2026
At Stand 14.A57, the data company will demonstrate GreenDot and IBM Aspera together, giving media and entertainment businesses real-time visibility of what thei...
18/08/2026
New tool provides a robust audit of operational workflows, calculating the tangible value each delivers today, and informing business decisions for tomorrow.
W...
18/08/2026
Media Utilities is integrating its activities into DigiNet and will maintain a recognisable presence in the market under the name: Media Utilities, a DigiNet br...
Article was originally published in Rochester Business Journal, link to original article here.
