Exelis - Contributing to the Success of the James Web Space Telescope Background The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is one of the most ambitious satellites ever constructed, from its complex construction, launch and deployment, to its orbit around the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange Point. This orbit is outside the Earth's orbit of the Sun where the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth provides precisely the centripetal force required to orbit with them. The L2 Lagrange Point is also far enough away from the Earth to avoid the Earth’s infrared radiation that would interfere with the sensitivity of JWST’s instruments. The telescope will sense light in the infrared, and therefore must be cooled to very low temperatures, necessitating an elaborate shade that will shield the mirror from

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