Which institute operates the James Webb Space Telescope for NASA?

The Space Telescope Science Institute operates the James Webb Space Telescope for NASA. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, STScI serves as Webb's science and mission operations center, planning observations, commanding the observatory, processing data, and distributing results to researchers.

STScI was established in 1981 to support the Hubble Space Telescope and is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Its Webb responsibilities grew from the institute's earlier experience managing Hubble's scientific program and supporting a worldwide astronomy community.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center managed much of Webb's development, while international partners supplied major hardware and expertise. That division can cause confusion: Goddard was central to development and engineering, but STScI is the institute associated with day-to-day science and mission operations after launch.

STScI also manages the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, where Webb observations and data products are made available. Researchers worldwide compete for observing time through peer-reviewed proposals, making the institute a hub between the observatory and the astronomy community.