Tekdata wins Webb Telescope harnesses contract

Tekdata will provide technical expertise and build the high-specification cryogenic wiring harnesses that will connect parts of the JWST in orbit.

The Webb Telescope, a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, will be NASA's premier space observatory after its launch in 2013.

It will orbit 1.5m km from Earth at the second Earth-Sun Lagrange point, where it will capture infrared images of every phase of cosmic history, from the first luminous objects to the assembly of galaxies and formation of planetary systems.

The Webb Telescope needs complex harnesses to link the spacecraft's systems, which supply power and data for the telescope's alignment control systems as it orbits Earth in ultra-low temperatures.

Tekdata will build a range of test harnesses and pre-flight cables before supplying the flight harnesses for integration into the spacecraft.

The Webb Telescope programme is an international collaboration led by NASA and includes partners from the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor to NASA.