The antenna assembly is shown in a NASA graphic. The image is from NASA.
One day after it was launched into space, NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope successfully deployed an antenna.
Scientists call the antenna assembly a gimbaled antenna because it is used to carry the high-rate data dish. The Ariane 5 rocket lifted off from a spaceport in French Guiana on Saturday and flew into space.
NASA officials wrote in a mission update that the antenna will be used to send at least 28.6 Gbytes of science data down from the observatory twice a day. The entire process took about an hour, after the team released and tested the motion of the antenna assembly.
The James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission is live.
The $10 billion space telescope is designed to study the earliest stars in the universe. It is the most powerful telescope ever launched.
A monthlong series of steps have been taken to prime the space telescope for its deep-space observing mission. A stable point in space called L2 is 1 million miles from Earth. The telescope will be able to observe the universe.
NASA's update says that the telescope's temperature and strain gauge were activated for the first time. Flight controllers will be able to monitor the temperature and structural health of the space telescope with the help of the gauges.
There are 5 missions to look forward to after the telescope.
One of the most harrowing periods for the space telescope is still ahead, and it's important for mission scientists and engineers to have an accurate reading of the temperature and structural loads.
If it can be kept cold enough, the James Webb Space Telescope can make the most detailed observations ever. The first eight days after the launch, a huge multi-layer sun shield will be unfurled to the size of a tennis court. Three days into the mission, the deployment process is expected to begin.
A second mid-course correction burn will be the next step for the space telescope. The second of three planned burns is expected to be completed later in the day.
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