Advantages and Disadvantages of Space Telescopes

Compared to the 40m diameter ELT, which will likely be used for 100 years and
more, the JWST will fail 10 years after launch due to lack of fuel. If he can no longer
stay on point L2 Lagrange, it will be difficult to target the stars and we will lose contact
with him. Another disadvantage of telescopes put into orbit, a breakdown on these
space facilities forces the sending of a team of astronauts on site, raising the cost of
such infrastructure at great prices. In short, the JWST is not profitable and we can thank
the American senators who agreed to sign the bill.

The future of terrestrial observatories remains assured and all the more knowing that
they take advantage of state-of-the-art techniques (very high-resolution CCD, ultrathin
mirror, adaptive optics, cooled mirror, bearings on oil bath, VLTI, etc.). Their lower cost
than space telescopes also makes it possible to multiply their number, the only way to
continuously follow certain planetary and extragalactic phenomena.

But in the future, space projects are nonetheless indispensable and will be even more
ambitious. Thus, NASA in collaboration with BOEING envisages nothing less than to
build in the space of the hypertelescopes of 150 km of diameter!