JWST Thermal Links

James Webb Space Telescope

Designed and fabricated by SDL, these low-mass links, fabricated from high purity aluminum foils, maximize thermal conductance in their cryogenic operating conditions, minimize mechanical interaction, and provide dynamic flexibility as they transport heat from JWST’s science instruments to their radiators, enabling each instrument to operate at desired temperatures.

SDL developed the complex set of associated T300 composite support flexures for the system, providing necessary thermal isolation from the links to the support structure. SDL also designed and fabricated links and a composite support structure which is an integral part of the detector system in the NIRSpectrograph Instrument on JWST.

JWST’s mission is to find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe by examining every phase of cosmic history, from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, stars, planets, and our own solar system.