Fine Guidance Sensor

E59347

The Fine Guidance Sensor is a high-precision pointing and stabilization instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope that locks onto guide stars to keep the observatory accurately aimed during observations.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf James Webb Space Telescope instrument
astronomical instrument
guidance sensor
acronymExpansion Fine Guidance Sensor
alsoKnownAs FGS
contributesTo pointing stability of James Webb Space Telescope
countryOfOrigin Canada
dataUsedBy attitude control system
detectorArraySize 2048 x 2048 pixels
detectorType HgCdTe infrared detector
developedBy COM DEV International
Canadian Space Agency
Honeywell Aerospace
developedFor NASA
enables high-precision imaging
long-exposure observations
stable spectroscopy
fieldOfView approximately 2.4 arcminutes by 2.4 arcminutes
firstLightDate 2022-02
guidingMode can track guide stars during telescope slews
locks onto single guide star
launchDate 2021-12-25
launchSite Guiana Space Centre
launchVehicle Ariane 5 ECA
locatedOn integrated science instrument module
manufacturer Honeywell Aerospace
mission James Webb Space Telescope mission
operatedBy Space Telescope Science Institute
operationalTemperature approximately 40 kelvin
orbit Sun–Earth L2 halo orbit
partOf James Webb Space Telescope
pointingAccuracy better than 5 milliarcseconds
primaryFunction attitude control support
fine guidance
high-precision pointing
stabilization
provides attitude measurements
fine pointing information
roleInAttitudeControl provides fine pointing error signals to attitude control system
sharesModuleWith Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph
spacecraft James Webb Space Telescope
status operational
supports all JWST science instruments
supportsObservationModes imaging
spectroscopy
time-series observations
uses guide stars
wavelengthRange 0.8 to 5.0 micrometres


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