We can breathe easier now. Despite a number of problems, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is finally in space, making its way to its new home.
The European Space Agency has released footage from the Ariane 5 rocket, which filmed the telescope in glorious HD as it zooms away.
You can watch as the solar array deploys after 69 seconds in the three-minute real-time video.
It's headed for a location 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in a region called a Lagrange point.
This is where the combined forces of Earth and the Sun create a small area of stability. The second lagrange point is on the far side of Earth from the Sun.
The state-of-the-art sun shield that will be used by Webb will protect it from the heat of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, but it will also require less fuel than other locations.
The interference from heat sources that might mess with the early Universe's measurement is mitigated by the fact that the temperatures are at that distance.
Because it's so far away from Earth, the telescope will need minimal human involvement. Engineers on the ground can communicate with the satellite, but they won't be able to service it. It was worth the extra months to make sure everything was in perfect condition before launch because we need to be able to fix any issues that might arise remotely.
If we ever do again, Ariane 5's final footage will be the last time we clap eyes on him. It's possible that another craft will be able to take a few pictures, but you shouldn't expect it. We can't expect any fetching selfies as we see with the Mars rovers, because we can't expect any self-monitoring cameras to be added to Webb.
That's okay. When it reaches L2, he has a lot of bigger fish to fry. It will arrive in a couple more weeks after launch. To make sure it's operating correctly, it will need to be extensively tested. The telescope's science operations will begin six months after launch.
We might expect to see the first light images from the testing and calibration phase a little earlier than that. We'll be hoping that the journey goes smoothly.
You are on a wonderful space telescope. Soon, call home.
