Heroic Engineering: The James Webb Space Telescope
And Lessons Learned for Future Flagship Missions
Jonathan W. Arenberg
Northrop Grumman Fellow
Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration
Northrop Grumman
Sponsored by PSW Science Member AC Charania
Video
About the Lecture
The result of nearly 100 million people hours of effort over several decades, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the largest observatory operating in space and an epic engineering story. To bring the Webb mission to life took the efforts of three space agencies, hundreds of scientific organizations, and nearly a thousand companies on three continents.
This lecture will discuss the origins of the mission, which stretches back to the 1980’s, long before the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. Webb’s science missions will be discussed and connected to the mission requirements, cryogenic operation, and a primary mirror larger than the rocket’s fairing.
Taken in aggregate, the mission requirements called for a revolutionary approach to the design and implementation of space observatories. The key revolutionary aspects of the technology, systems architecture and engineering that Webb’s mission demanded, will be introduced and explored. The lecture will also explore some of the challenges faced by the development team along the way. The central role that modeling and simulation played in the design and approach to verification will be highlighted.
This talk will also show some of the stunning images and early science results from this groundbreaking observatory.
And it will conclude with a discussion of some of the speaker’s major lessons learned from Webb’s development and implementation, and generalize them for the development of future complex development efforts.
Reading & Media References
1. The James Webb Space Telescope Mission, Jonathan P. Gardner et al 2023 PASP 135 068001DOI 10.1088/1538-3873/acd1b5
2. Jonathan W. Arenberg, Tiffany Glassman, Elysia Starr, et al. “Designing a new, large, complex observatory: learning the strategic lesson of newness from our experience on the James Webb Space Telescope,” Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 10(1), 011209 (14 Mar 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.10.1.011209
3. Pierre Y. Bely, Garth D. Illingworth, Jonathan W. Arenberg, et al. “Genesis of the James Webb Space Telescope architecture: the designers’ story,” Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 11(3), 030901 (1 Jul 2025); https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.11.3.030901
4. Paul A. Lightsey, Charles B. Atkinson, Mark C. Clampin, et al. “James Webb Space Telescope: large deployable cryogenic telescope in space,” Optical Engineering 51(1), 011003 (3 Feb 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.1.011003
5. Charlie Atkinson, Jonathan Arenberg, Gary Matthews, et al. “Architecting a revised optical test approach for JWST”, Proc. SPIE 7010, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2008: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter, 70100Q (12 Jul 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.788021
6. Charles Atkinson, Jonathan Arenberg, Larry Gilman, et al. “Technology demonstration of large stable cryogenic composite structures for JWST”, Proc. SPIE 6687, UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes: Innovative Technologies and Concepts III, 668703 (12 Sept 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734753
7. Charles B. Atkinson, Pat Harrison, Gary Matthews, et al. “Integration and verification of the James Webb Space Telescope”, Proc. SPIE 5180, Optical Manufacturing and Testing V, null (22 Dec 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.506410
8. Jonathan W. Arenberg, John M. O’Meara, Paul H. Geithner “Special Section Guest Editorial: Lessons Learned from the James Webb Space Telescope Program,” Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 10(1), 011201 (29 Mar 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.10.1.011201
9. Jonathan W. Arenberg, Joshua Adamson, George Harpole, et al. “Determination of emissivities of key thermo-optical surfaces on the James Webb Space Telescope”, Proc. SPIE 9143, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 91433Q (28 Aug 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055514
10. J. Arenberg, J. Adamson, G. Harpole, et al. “Radiance from an ice contaminated surface”, Proc. SPIE 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 99046G (9 Aug 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234487
11. Lee Feinberg, Jonathan Arenberg, Dave Yanatsis, et al. “Breaking the cost curve: applying lessons learned from the James Webb space telescope development”, Proc. SPIE 10698, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 1069823 (6 Jul 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2309661
12. Jonathan Arenberg “Calculation of the effect of ice on the transmission of the James Webb Space Telescope”, Proc. SPIE 6692, Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instruments XII, 66920S (17 Sept 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.736281
About the Speaker
Jonathan Arenberg is a Northrop Grumman Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration at Northrop Grumman Space Systems. In that role, he leads engineering and concept development for future science missions and develops, plans, and conducts strategic analyses for space science missions across all disciplines. He was responsible for directing Northrop Grumman’s studies of potential successor missions to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the recent astrophysics decadal review and Astrophysics Probe Explorer proposals. Previously, he served as chief engineer for Space Science Missions at Northrop Grumman, and as systems engineering manager and chief engineer for technology development on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). His other JWST positions included structural technology test lead, system design leader, and systems engineering deputy.
Jon’s work focuses on the development of missions, systems, and technologies for astronomy from space. He has more than 35 years of experience working on astronomical programs, including the Chandra X-ray Observatory, development of the starshade, and JWST. His technical experience includes optical systems from X-rays through terahertz wavelengths, laser systems and components, metrology, optical testing, and technical standards. He is a member of US national and international standards committees related to lasers and electro-optics. He contributed to studies of AXIS, HEX-P, SALTUS, Arcus, Lynx, Origins, LUVOIR, and HabEx with a Starshade. He co-invented the Starshade concept for directly imaging exoplanets. Currently he is working on technology and architecture for the Habitable Worlds Observatory and several other missions.
Jon is an author on over 270 conference presentations, papers, and book chapters and of the book Systems Engineering for Astronomical Telescopes, co-authored with Paul Lightsey. He is a frequent public speaker, colloquium and guest lecturer, a referee for several journals, a guest editor for special journal issues on laser engineering and astronomical topics, and a short-course instructor. He holds 15 US and European patents covering a wide range of technologies.
Among other honors and awards, Jon is an Associate Fellow of AIAA. He is also a Fellow of SPIE. In addition, he received the UCLA Samueli Professional Achievement Award. He was the speaker at the UCLA Engineering graduate commencement in 2022.
He earned a BS in Physics and an MS and PhD in engineering at UCLA.
More Information About the Speaker
• American Astronomical Society: Jonathan Arenberg candidate profile (2026)
• AIAA Los Angeles Section: speaker biography (2026)
• UC Santa Barbara Materials Department: speaker biography (2026)
• UCLA Samueli School of Engineering: Professional Achievement Award profile
• AIAA: Class of 2024 Associate Fellows
• SPIE Digital Library: Systems Engineering for Astronomical Telescopes