James Webb Space Telescope Deploys New Era of Space Observation

December 27, 2021 by Reece Nations
James Webb Space Telescope Deploys New Era of Space Observation
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA photographer Chris Gunn)

KOUROU, French Guiana — The James Webb Space Telescope finally launched into outer space on Christmas morning becoming NASA’s new flagship mission.

Named after former NASA administrator James E. Webb, who served during the early days of the Apollo program, the telescope was launched aboard the European heavy-lift space launch vehicle known as the Ariane 5 on Dec. 25. Although the launch itself was a success, the greater success of the mission remains to be seen as it travels on course to a gravitationally stable point beyond the moon’s orbit.

JWST will transmit images back to Earth with enhanced infrared resolution and sensitivity compared to Hubble, meaning the telescope will be able to make observations of some of the most distant events and galaxies. If successful, the information gathered by these observations will help researchers fully understand how planets are formed, grant a more detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets, inspect the lifecycle of stars and study the formation of the universe’s first galaxies.

“The James Webb Space Telescope represents the ambition that NASA and our partners maintain to propel us forward into the future,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a written statement. “The promise of Webb is not what we know we will discover; it’s what we don’t yet understand or can’t yet fathom about our universe. I can’t wait to see what it uncovers!”

The launch of the JWST was held up by a design overhaul in 2005, numerous budgetary issues and scheduling delays. In 2011 after the U.S. House of Representatives appropriations committee on Commerce, Justice, and Science considered scrapping the project altogether due to its budget, lawmakers agreed to let the JWST’s development continue with a cap of $8 billion dollars — although its final price tag of roughly $10 billion exceeded even this mark. 

Shortly after launch, the JWST deployed its solar panels and utilized onboard propellant to undergo a mid-course correction burn to adjust its trajectory toward the second Lagrange point, according to NASA. This point in the solar system, named after French astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange, represents an area of equilibrium for small-mass objects between the orbits of two massive bodies — which are represented by the Earth and the Moon in this case.

The telescope’s mission is planned to last five years, although its lifespan could be expanded to as long as 10 years depending on how much of its propellant is used during course correction burns. The JWST’s vehicle cannot be refueled by design and the length of its mission will be determined by when it runs out of propellant fuel.

Once its course has been corrected the JWST will begin the deployment of its sun-shield, which is composed of metallic sheets roughly the size of a tennis court but thinner than a human hair. This sun-shield will allow the JWST to make its observations without interference from sources of heat — particularly the Sun, Earth and Moon which all emit enough infrared radiation to overheat the telescope.

Thirteen days after launch, on Jan. 7, both primary mirror wings of the telescope will become fully deployed and all 18 of the gold-plated beryllium mirror segments will be operational. These mirror segments, spanning 21 feet in diameter, are considerably larger than the Hubble’s roughly eight-foot mirror and allow the JWST to observe high-redshift objects that are too distant and old for the Hubble to see. 

Twenty-nine days after launch, the Webb will reach a stable orbit and NASA’s astronomers will spend four to five months calibrating the telescopic components of the vehicle. The Webb’s first images are expected to be broadcast back to Earth around five to six months after launch.

NASA was assisted in the project by the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Both agencies began collaborating with NASA when initial development began in 1996, with the ESA and CSA each providing manpower and crucial instruments necessary for the vehicle’s operation.

Over the decades it took to complete, the JWST was worked on by thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians from 15 countries. In total, 258 companies, government agencies and academic institutions participated in the project.

“I want to congratulate the team on this incredible achievement — Webb’s launch marks a significant moment not only for NASA, but for thousands of people worldwide who dedicated their time and talent to this mission over the years,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a written statement. “Webb’s scientific promise is now closer than it ever has been. We are poised on the edge of a truly exciting time of discovery, of things we’ve never before seen or imagined.” 

Reece can be reached at [email protected].

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  • Bill Nelson
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