Podcast – The history of the James Webb Space Telescope

In this episode of the Space Economy podcast, we have a special feature. This Friday, December 24th the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch. Today’s podcast is a Future in Space Operations presentation from Dec. 15 with Robert Smith of the University of Alberta who discusses The Making of Megascience: The History of the James Webb Space Telescope.

So what does the Webb telescope have to do with the Space Economy. Well to start, over 10,000 people worked on the project with over $10 billion being spent by the NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency over 20 years.

And if you are regular to this podcast you will know we previously interviewed NASA’s Chief Economist Alex MacDonald about his book the Long Space Age, the Economic Origins of Space Exploration from Colonial America to the Cold War. The book in part discusses the grand terrestrial observatories, how they were funded and the impact on society. So while the Webb space telescope will advance our knowledge of the universe, it will also have an economic impact.

Listen in.

• The Canadian Space Agency JWST Information kit
• NASA – James Webb Space Telescope
• European Space Agency – James Webb Space Telescope

The Making of Megascience: The History of the James Webb Space Telescope