NASA said that the James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed its sun shield Tuesday, a critical milestone for the success of its mission.
The observatory's control center in Baltimore broadcasted an announcement that all five layers of the sun shield were tensioned.
The parasol-shaped apparatus acts like a parasol to keep the instruments in the shade so they can detect faint signals from the far reaches of the Universe.
The layers were unfolded one by one. They offer an SPF of about one million.
The telescope was too large to fit into a rocket's nose cone and had to be folded. Unfurling is the most difficult deployment NASA has ever attempted.
"This is the first time anyone has ever tried to put a telescope of this size into space," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate.
The human ingenuity and engineering skill that will enable the Webb to accomplish its science goals is an incredible testament to the success of the sun shield deployment.
Hillary Stock told reporters on a call that it was a wonderful moment. There was a lot of joy and relief.
The most powerful space telescope ever built and the successor to Hubble was launched in a Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 25 and is now more than a million miles from Earth.
The first stars and galaxies formed 13.5 billion years ago, and it is possible to see them using its technology.
The Universe's expansion has stretched the visible and ultraviolet light that was emitted by the first objects, and now it arrives in the form of IR, which is equipped to detect with unprecedented clarity.
The study of distant planets to determine their origin, evolution, and habitability is part of its mission.
It was built to resist meteorites.
The sun shield will be positioned between the telescope and the Sun, Earth, and Moon, with the Sun-facing side being built to resist a maximum of 115 degrees Celsius.
The telescope's sensitive instruments are able to operate at -380F because of the cooler layers.
Kapton is coated with treated Silicon. It also has a special stop to limit damage from meteorites.
The second Lagrange point is still around five and a half months away from being reached, but it will be in a matter of weeks.
Next steps include aligning the telescope's optics, calibrating its science instruments, and deployment of its secondary and primary mirror wings.
Agence France-Presse.
