Extra-Atmospheric Astronomy and the New James Webb Space Telescope

The optical properties of the atmosphere limit the capabilities of ground-based astronomy. Taking telescopes beyond the atmosphere has allowed not only to significantly expand the spectral range of observations, but also to achieve great success in measurements in the visible range. In part, this has stimulated the creation of adaptive optical systems for ground-based telescopes. Of particular interest in the study of planets and exoplanets are observations in the IR and submm ranges. The capabilities of ground-based observations in these ranges are expanding, but will always remain limited. Extra-atmospheric astronomy has absolute priority in this. The article provides an overview of extra-atmospheric observatories in the UV, visible and IR ranges. Particular attention is paid to the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).