NASA and ESA unite

NASA has signed two agreements of co-operation with the European Space Agency (ESA) at the International Paris Air Show on Monday.

The agreements specify terms of co-operation on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder mission.

LISA will be used in a joint mission between ESA and NASA to detect gravitational waves in space and to test the theory of general relativity.

The JWST is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, although it will operate over a different range of wavelengths. NASA, ESA and the Canadian agency plan to use it to explore the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems.

‘We expect that, as Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope also will make profound astronomical observations and discoveries,’ said NASA administrator Michael Griffin.

The observatory will contain a telescope with a primary mirror measuring 6.5m in diameter and features such as a fine guidance sensor for precision pointing.