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Astronomers and space fans around the world can breathe a sigh of relief: The James Webb Space Telescope is now fully deployed. The $10 billion NASA observatory unfolded the second “wing” of its massive primary mirror today (Jan. 8), bringing the light-collecting structure up to its full size and marking the end of the mission’s … Read more
We can all breathe a bit easier now. In spite of a launch bedeviled by problem after problem, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally in space, making its way to its new home. And if you needed a little reassurance that this is the case (which is totally understandable), the European Space Agency … Read more
The iconic golden mirror of NASA’s massive new observatory is taking shape. The James Webb Space Telescope unfolded the panel that carries the three leftmost segments of its hexagonal gold-coated primary mirror on Friday (Jan. 7). Nearly two weeks after the observatory’s launch, the successful maneuver brings the telescope close to its final form. “Webb’s … Read more
Catch a livestream of the James Webb Space Telescope as it zips towards its celestial perch today (Jan. 7). Starting at 4:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT), astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy will stream live telescope views of the James Webb Space Telescope. You can watch the webcast live in the … Read more
The public is now used to seeing space up close, thanks to cameras watching everything from satellites deploying to a spacesuit-clad “dummy” cruising in a Tesla — so why doesn’t NASA’s giant new observatory have any cameras on board? It has to do with light and heat, Julie Van Campen, deputy commissioning manager for the … Read more
NASA’s new high-tech, low-temp observatory observatory is one step closer to gathering some cool science. The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Dec. 25 and has spent its time in space so far executing a complicated sequence of deployments to unfold the telescope to its final configuration. On Thursday (Jan. 6), the mission team notched … Read more
When the James Webb Space Telescope’s mission first began on Dec. 25, it was already time for people on Earth to say goodbye to the observatory. A new video from the European Space Agency shows the $10 billion Webb telescope deploying from the Ariane 5 rocket that carried it into space, all in glorious 4K … Read more
The James Webb Space Telescope achieved another major milestone today, successfully extending its secondary mirror as it continues to sail seamlessly through its never-before-conducted deployment sequence on the way to its destination. The 2.4-foot-wide (0.74 meters) secondary mirror sits attached to a tripod opposite the main mirror. Its task is to concentrate the light collected … Read more
The James Webb Space Telescope has successfully deployed all five layers of its tennis-court-sized sunshield, a prerequisite for the telescope’s science operations and the most nerve-wracking part of its risky deployment. The challenging procedure, which required careful tensioning of each of the five hair-thin layers of the elaborate sunshield structure was a seamless success today (Jan. 4). … Read more
The James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed its tennis-court sized sunshield Tuesday, a critical milestone for the success of its mission to study every phase of cosmic history, NASA said. “All five layers of the sunshield are fully tensioned,” said an announcer at the observatory’s control center in Baltimore, where team members cheered, a … Read more