Space · Deployed observatory · sunshield long axis
How long is a james webb space telescope?
NASA lists the deployed Webb sunshield at 21.197 meters long by 14.162 meters wide.

21.197 m
Sourced measurement- Measurement
- Sunshield length · fully deployed
- Subject or version
- Deployed observatory · sunshield long axis
- In feet, rounded
- 69.5 ft (1 ft = 0.3048 m)
Add more subjects or change the units in the playground.
A little more perspective
NASA lists the deployed Webb sunshield at 21.197 meters long by 14.162 meters wide. This entry measures the longer edge-to-edge extent in the sunshield plane, with the observatory deployed. It does not use the 6.5-meter mirror aperture as the overall spacecraft size.
The sunshield and primary mirror define different measurements of the same observatory. Keeping the shield’s long axis horizontal lets its full span control this comparison. The gold mirror and support structures rise above that plane, but their illustrated vertical extent does not establish a separately sourced height.
Quick facts
NASA lists the deployed Webb sunshield at 21.197 meters long by 14.162 meters wide.
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Sources and measurement notes
Source review recorded . Maintained by Ishan Karunaratne. Suggest a correction with a source and the exact measurement being compared.