This competition is now closed James Webb Space Telescope: How does it work and what will it see? Advertisement Launch mass: 6,200kg Expected first images: 2-3 months after launch Collaborators: NASA, ESA and Canadian Space Agency Mission duration: 5-10 years The James Webb Space Telescope’s tech 1: Secondary mirror 2: Primary mirror 3: Sunshield The size of a tennis court, it protects the telescope from light sources, such as the Sun. 1: ISIM 2: Spacecraft bus 3: Star trackers 4: High gain antenna What will the JWST see? The early Universe The JWST will be able to look back to around 200 million years after the Big Bang, when the first stars in the Universe formed.