The New Generation Space Telescope (NGST) was the original concept name for NASA's flagship infrared observatory, proposed in early concept studies as the successor to Hubble. The project focused on deploying a large, segmented mirror in deep space to observe the early universe. It was later officially renamed the James Webb Space Telescope.
Heard on the job
If you look at the early NGST design documents, the sunshield configuration was much simpler.
Also heard as
- New Generation Space Telescope
Do not mix it up with
- JWST: NGST is the historical project name, while JWST is the final, built observatory.
Related terms
JWST
The James Webb Space Telescope is a large infrared observatory positioned at the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point.
Hubble
A Hubble is a large space telescope or reconnaissance satellite utilizing a massive primary mirror.
Instrument
A device in the cockpit that displays critical flight data to the pilot.