This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is scheduled for launch in 2018. To operate and observe efficiently, JWST will rely on various external astrometric and photometric catalogues, in particular the HST Guide Star Catalog (GSC), for instance to locate sources accurately on the sky. The incorporation of the Gaia astrometric catalog will improve the absolute astrometry of the GSC and is therefore relevant for JWST operations. We outline how the JWST Science and Operations Center hosted at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) intends to use the Gaia survey results to improve upon operational aspects such as the guiding and the geometric focal plane characterisation of JWST.
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