NASA can exhale a sigh of relief.
After several deep-space engine burns, the James Webb Space Telescope arrived safely at its ultimate destination, in great health and carrying even more fuel than expected.
The observatory's highly anticipated science campaign is a big step closer to being realized after the arrival at the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 2 (L2), officials with NASA and prime contractor said on Monday.
Five more months of cooling down the telescope, aligning its 18 primary mirror segments, getting its science instruments ready to study exoplanets, gaze at the universe's first stars and galaxies, and much more are on the horizon. The team members are excited to start.
There are some good videos for you. It was created with a sketch.
The baby hasn't opened its eyes a month in. "But that's the science that we're looking forward to," Jane Rigby, the operations project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said during a media teleconference on Monday.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission is live.
There are photos of the Christmas launch of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
An artist's depiction of the fully deployed James Webb Space Telescope completing its final burn to reach L2. The image is from NASA.
During its first year of work, the telescope will do over 300 science investigations, which include looking for the first generation of galaxies that formed after the Bigbang, probing planetary atmospheres and assessing them for habitability.
According to NASA, the main mission of the telescope is to find the first light in the universe, assembly of galaxies in the early universe, birth of stars and planets and the beginnings of life.
The Hubble Space Telescope, which is still taking stunning photos more than 30 years after its launch, is expected to serve as a public engagement opportunity. Scientists are eager to get their hands on the data that will be regularly released for open science initiatives.
Most of the engineering milestones have been completed, although the project is not yet finished. The journey to L2 left it with far more fuel than expected after it deployed its massive sun shield and mirrors.
During Monday's press conference, the manager of the observatory at NASA said they have plenty of fuel.
The team says the telescope has enough fuel to operate for about 20 years, even though it was estimated at 10 years.
I think the community is happy. The people who built and designed Webb are thrilled by the final number.
He said that people are creative and that if Webb is in good health, someone could think about a deep-space refueling in a decade or two. "Who knows what some future folks will want to do with it, and maybe visit it and do something?"
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