A graphic shows the sun shield of the James Webb Space Telescope. The image is from NASA.
Taking a day to rest is a good way to celebrate the new year.
The team managing the complicated process of deploy the James Webb Space Telescope are taking Saturday off. An agency update states that work will resume on Sunday.
After a long day on Friday, the team deployed the two mid-booms that support the width of the observatory's kite-shaped sun shield.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission is live.
The Christmas launch of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
The deployment of the sun shield mid-booms went late into the night. "Webb mission management decided this morning to pause deployment activities for today and allow the team to rest and prepare to begin the sun shield tensioning."
One full week has passed since the observatory's Christmas-morning launch.
The launch was not the most nerve-racking time for JWST. During its first week in space, the telescope deployed its solar array, conducted two course-correcting burns, and unfolded its massive sun shield. A wrong step in the deployment process will doom the observatory.
The next step in the marathon is to separate the sun shield's five membranes, which will take two days. If everything goes well, it will begin tomorrow and conclude Monday.
The deployment process for the sun shield will end with the successful tensioning. The agency will hold a press conference after the tension is over. According to a NASA timeline, the observatory will unfold its secondary mirror.
As of today at 1:30 pm. More than half way through its journey to its final station, the JWST was located more than 760,000 kilometers away.
Follow her on social media: EmailMeghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com Follow us on social media.
