The news was announced by NASA administrator Bill Nelson in a statement to NPR. “We have found no evidence at this time that warrants changing the name of the James Webb Space Telescope,” he said.
The impressive device, which is set to launch in December, has been described as the most powerful and largest telescope ever created.
Viewed as the successor to the historic Hubble, the new telescope will have the ability to examine atmospheres from planets orbiting distant stars and see light from the earliest galaxies in the universe.
Nelson’s statement comes after 1,200 scientists organised a petition calling for Webb to be removed from the groundbreaking device.