One large space rock damaged one of the telescope's 18 gold- plated mirrors.
The first images showing the extent of the damage have been shared by NASA researchers. The impact site is visible on the C3 mirror in the lower right-hand corner of the picture.
The report says that the impact damaged a small portion of the mirror. The telescope's performance seems to have not been affected by this small dent. The performance is almost all across the board.
The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope are amazing.
Micrometeoroids are tiny rocks that can be seen in near-Earth space. More than 23,000 pieces of orbital debris measuring larger than the size of a softball are tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, but millions of smaller pieces are difficult to monitor.
NASA plans for unavoidable impacts.
The new report says that any spaceship will encounter micrometeoroids. Since the telescope launched, six micrometeoroids have left noticeable "deformities" on the mirrors.
It's all within the realm of expectation. Engineers tested the performance of the telescope by hitting mirror samples with small objects.
The impactor that damaged the C3 mirror was larger than expected. Researchers are trying to assess the impact that strikes like this could have on the JWST, as this space rock was larger than the team had anticipated.
More than 200 scientists working at NASA, the European Space Agency, and other science institutions wrote the new status report, which has not yet been peer reviewed. The telescope has a bright future despite the impact to the C3 mirror, as the researchers found that the telescope is working perfectly after six months of operation.
The report says thatJWST was intended to enable fundamental breakthrough in our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems. With certainty, we know that it will happen.
It was originally published on Live Science
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