The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST will provide direct imaging and medium resolution spectroscopy (R~3000) over the wavelength range 5 - 28.3 micron, coronagraphic imaging at 10.65, 11.4, 15.5 and 23 micron, and low resolution spectroscopy (R~100) over the wavelength range 5 - 10 micron. JWST's cold, large aperture and MIRI's state-of-the-art detector arrays are expected to provide ~50 times the sensitivity and 7 times the angular resolution of Spitzer.

MIRI in flight configuration

MIRI is jointly developed by the US and a nationally funded European Consortium (EC) under the auspices of the European Space Agency. George Rieke (University of Arizona) and Gillian Wright (UK Astronomy Technology Centre) are the MIRI Science Leads. JPL chairs joint overall management and system engineering teams, and is responsible for the focal plane system and the flight software. The EC is responsible for the optics, optical bench, and assembly, integration, and test of the MIRI instrument.