![]() ![]() Now, you can use it explore the entire process.Īnnotations: During deployment and commissioning, in near realtime, each current step was updated and annotated with status information, blog posts, press conferences, related images, articles, videos etc. “We’ve always known that this project would be a risky endeavor, but with big risk comes big rewards.000 Explore Webb's Deployments & CommissioningĬlick the sequence of images above to explore each step from launch though Webb's first images.ĭuring Webb's launch, ~1,000,000 mile journey to L2, deployment, commissioning and through the release of its first images, this interactive tracked Webb's current state in realtime and mapped out the future steps. “Webb is a shining example of the power of what we can accomplish when we dream big,” tweeted U.S. In the end, the successful launch was a moment of holiday cheer for astronomers and space enthusiasts. Finally, bad weather forced a postponement to the morning of Dec. Then, a communications problem from the telescope to ground support arose it was traced to a bad cable and pushed the launch to Dec. 22 after an incident during launch preparations, when a band suddenly unclamped itself and jolted the entire observatory, requiring additional checks. 12 via cargo ship at the spaceport in French Guiana, on schedule for a Dec. This only grew as final delays pushed the launch deeper into the holiday season, adding another layer of stress to a holiday break already thrown into havoc by the omicron variant of COVID-19. These frigid conditions will minimize interference at the infrared wavelengths that JWST is designed to observe, allowing the telescope to seek the redshifted light of primordial galaxies and penetrate the dusty shrouds of nebulae to see young stars.įor some astronomers who have much riding on JWST - including observing proposals already accepted and planned - the approaching launch brought a sense of foreboding. Its 6.5-meter, hexagonal, segmented mirror is shielded from the heat of the Sun by a five-layer sunshield that will allow the telescope to cool to –370☏ (–223☌). It is a joint project between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. It was originally envisioned to launch in 2007 with a price tag of $500 million.Īfter 14 years of delays and a ballooning price tag that, at times, threatened to swallow NASA’s astrophysics budget whole, JWST has emerged as the most powerful space telescope ever built. JWST originated in a 1996 report put together by a panel of astronomers attempting to plan the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Then, in six months, if nothing goes wrong, JWST will begin its ambitious mission to sight the first galaxies and characterize alien worlds. When it reaches the L2 point, where Earth and the Sun’s gravity cancel out, JWST will keep station as its instruments cool to their working temperatures. Along the way, the telescope will carry out the intricate and risky process of unfolding itself - it was meticulously designed to fold up to fit inside the rocket fairing - and deploying its components and systems. EST marked the end of a development full of delays and cost overruns - and the beginning of the telescope’s month-long journey to its destination nearly 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth. 25: relief, as NASA’s $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) rode safely to space on an Ariane 5 booster from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Astronomers around the world received a great gift this Dec. ![]()
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