Launch and commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope information
Beginnings of the infrared astronomical observatory
Ariane flight VA256 launching containing the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed primarily to conduct infrared astronomy. Its complex launch and commissioning process lasted from late 2021 until mid-2022.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led JWST's development in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), beginning in the late 1990s. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland managed telescope development, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore on the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University operates JWST, and the prime contractor was Northrop Grumman. The telescope is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
The launch (designated Ariane flight VA256) took place as scheduled at 12:20 UTC on 25 December 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket that lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.[1][2] Upon successful launch, NASA administrator Bill Nelson called it "a great day for planet Earth".[3] The telescope was confirmed to be receiving power, starting a two-week deployment phase of its parts[4] and traveling to its target destination.[5][6][7] A six-month commissioning phase followed of testing and calibrating scientific instruments, culminating in the first scientific results being publicly shared in July 2022. The telescope's nominal mission time is five years, with a goal of ten years.[8] An L2 orbit is unstable, so JWST needs to use propellant to maintain its halo orbit around L2 (known as station-keeping) to prevent the telescope from drifting away from its orbital position.[9] It was designed to carry enough propellant for 10 years,[10] but the precision of the Ariane 5 launch and the first midcourse correction were credited with saving enough onboard fuel that JWST may be able to maintain its orbit for around 20 years instead.[11][12][13] Space.com called the launch "flawless".[14]
^"Ariane 5 goes down in history with successful launch of Webb". Arianespace (Press release). 25 December 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
^Pinoi, Natasha; Fiser, Alise; Betz, Laura (27 December 2021). "NASA's Webb Telescope Launches to See First Galaxies, Distant Worlds – NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched at 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday [Dec. 25, 2021] on an Ariane 5 rocket French Guiana, South America". NASA. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
^Overbye, Dennis; Roulette, Joey (25 December 2021). "James Webb Space Telescope Launches on Journey to See the Dawn of Starlight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
^"How to track James Webb Space Telescope, mission timeline". Space Explored. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^Achenbach, Joel (25 December 2021). "NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launches in French Guiana – $10 billion successor to Hubble telescope will capture light from first stars and study distant worlds". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
^"Live Updates: Webb Telescope Launches on Long-Awaited Journey". The New York Times. 25 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
^Overbye, Dennis; Roulette, Joey (25 December 2021). "James Webb Space Telescope Launches on Journey to See the Dawn of Starlight – Astronomers were jubilant as the spacecraft made it off the launchpad, following decades of delays and cost overruns. The Webb is set to offer a new keyhole into the earliest moments of our universe". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "About the Webb". NASA James Webb Space Telescope. 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
^"JWST Orbit". James Webb Space Telescope User Documentation. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Frequently asked questions: How long will the Webb mission last?". NASA James Webb Space Telescope. 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
^Fox, Karen (29 December 2021). "NASA Says Webb's Excess Fuel Likely to Extend its Lifetime Expectations". James Webb Space Telescope (NASA Blogs). Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
^Berger, Eric (10 January 2022). "All hail the Ariane 5 rocket, which doubled the Webb telescope's lifetime". www.arstechnica.com. Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
^Amos, Jonathan (9 January 2022). "James Webb telescope completes epic deployment sequence". www.bbc.com. BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference reaction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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Global Information
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "About the Webb". NASA James Webb Space Telescope. 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
