NASA's James Webb Telescope awarded Michael Collins Trophy for stellar discoveries

A team of NASA scientists that operates the James Webb Space Telescope was felicitated with this year's edition of the Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime and Current Achievements. The award, which is presented on an annual basis by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, aims to recognise achievements in the arenas of space and science.  

Talking about the accomplishment, NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana said: “The James Webb Space Telescope team’s dedication and ingenuity is an inspiration to the world. The partnerships that make this mission possible represent the best of humanity and are critical to enabling us to use Webb to understand our universe better.”

The honour was presented to the Webb team at a ceremony held at the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, on Thursday. According to the museum, the high-tech telescope has changed humanity's understanding of the cosmic realm. 

“The 2023 Collins Trophy recipients have helped humans understand their place on this Earth. The James Webb Telescope has likewise given us new perspectives on the universe," said Chris Browne, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum. 

Last night we awarded the 2023 Michael Collins Trophy for Current Achievement to the James Webb Space Telescope Team.@NASAWebb is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever deployed and continues to amaze us with its discoveries and images of the universe. #CollinsTrophy pic.twitter.com/8OvKmayXdi

— National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace)

NASA celebrates the big win

Celebrating the feat, NASA said that the team of the James Webb Telescope has pushed all barriers to unravel the deep mysteries of space. “Congratulations to the James Webb Space Telescope team for pushing the boundaries to reveal our history through the earliest, most distant galaxies that shine in the cosmos. The awe-inspiring images and spectra are already delivering on Webb’s promise to unlock a new era of science," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at the headquarters of NASA.

The James Webb Space Telescope, which the Smithsonian museum calls the "most powerful space science telescope ever built", was launched on December 25, 2021. The next year in July, the Webb team officially kickstarted the telescope's mission to explore the depths of the universe, according to the official website of the space agency.