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1 1 (August 3, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/govzak0001 and id is 1 raw text is: neJms Wgiebb ae Tsinco 1pe The James Webb Space Telescope S August 3, 2018 Introduction The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported in March 2018 that it expects to breach the $8 billion cost cap established by Congress for formulation and development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). If that occurs, NASA would have to stop work on the project unless Congress enacts legislation authorizing it to continue. In addition, an independent review of JWST in May 2018 identified a number of technical and management challenges. This CRS In Focus provides information on JWST, the cost cap, and the independent review. It concludes with a brief discussion of issues that Congress may face as it considers the future of JWST. Fioure I - The lames Webb Snare Telescone. Source: NASA. Note: Artist's impression. Not yet launched. What Is JWST? NASA and its prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, are developing JWST as a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been operating since 1990. The main scientific goals of JWST are to study the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets. Unlike Hubble, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of 353 miles, JWST is designed to operate in deep space, about 1 million miles from Earth. Its primary mirror (the gold structure in Figure 1) is larger than Hubble's, and its instruments are optimized for infrared rather than visible light. This is expected to allow it to observe galaxies and other objects that are farther away and further back in time, as well as relatively cool objects such as protostars and protoplanetary disks. The likelihood of important scientific discoveries made JWST the highest- priority large project recommended by the National Academy of Sciences 2001 decadal survey of astronomy and astrophysics. Among the new technologies developed for JWST is a multilayer sunshield (the large flat structure in Figure 1) that is designed to fold up for launch and unfold in orbit to approximately the size of a tennis court. The sunshield is needed to protect the telescope optics and instruments from the heat of the sun, which would otherwise prevent effective infrared observations. NASA plans to launch JWST in March 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket, provided by the European Space Agency as an in- kind contribution to the project. The launch date has slipped several times. As recently as September 2017, the launch was expected to occur in October 2018. The Cost Cap When the National Academy of Sciences endorsed the project in 2001, it estimated that the total cost would be $1 billion. After several years of project formulation work, NASA designated JWST as a development project in 2006. In FY2009, it formally committed to a baseline JWST budget and schedule with an estimated life-cycle cost of $4.964 billion (including $4.381 billion for formulation and development and $582 million for operations) and a launch date in June 2014. In October 2010, an independent review (known as the Casani report after its chair, John Casani of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) concluded that these estimates were unachievable. In July 2011, the House Committee on Appropriations recommended cancelling JWST. NASA developed a revised plan for the project, with a life-cycle cost of $8.835 billion and a launch date in FY2018. In November 2011, in the conference agreement on FY2012 appropriations, Congress approved continued funding, subject to a cap of $8 billion on the cost of JWST formulation and development. The cost cap appeared in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-55) and has been repeated in annual appropriations acts ever since. The statutory language ties the $8 billion cap to existing cost control requirements and procedures in 51 U.S.C. §30104. If the responsible NASA official determines that JWST's development cost is likely to exceed the cap, he or she must immediately notify the NASA Administrator; the Administrator must notify Congress within 15 days; and starting 18 months after Congress is notified, NASA must cease spending funds on the program, other than for termination costs, unless Congress enacts legislation that authorizes the program to continue. https:/crsreports.congress.go,

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