NASA has successfully launched its James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.
A joint effort with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency, the Webb observatory is NASA’s revolutionary flagship mission to seek the light from the first galaxies in the early universe and to explore our own solar system, as well as planets orbiting other stars, called exoplanets.
Approximately 30 minutes after launch, Webb unfolded its solar array, and mission managers confirmed that the solar array was providing power to the observatory.
The world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will now begin six months of commissioning in space. At the end of commissioning, Webb will deliver its first images. Webb carries four state-of-the-art science instruments with highly sensitive infrared detectors of unprecedented resolution. Webb will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity than ever before. The premier mission is the scientific successor to NASA’s iconic Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, built to complement and further the scientific discoveries of these and other missions.
The telescope’s revolutionary technology will explore every phase of cosmic history – from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, to everything in between. Webb will reveal new and unexpected discoveries and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.
Webb will fundamentally alter our understanding of the universe. It can observe all of the cosmos, from planets to stars to nebulae to galaxies and beyond – helping scientists uncover secrets of the distant universe as well as exoplanets closer to home. Webb can explore our own solar system’s residents with
exquisite new detail and search for faint signals from the first galaxies ever made. From new forming stars to devouring black holes, Webb will reveal all this and more.Webb is engineered to build upon the groundbreaking discoveries of other spacecraft, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. While Hubble views the universe in visible and ultraviolet light, Webb focuses on infrared, a wavelength important for peering through gas and dust to see distant objects.
After Spitzer blazed trails in the infrared, Webb will take us farther by virtue of a primary mirror that is nearly 60 times larger in area. Finally, Webb’s mirror gives us Hubble’s incredible resolution with even greater sensitivity, and it is fully adjustable in space.
Webb’s large mirror and advanced suite of instruments are protected by a five-layer sunshield, built to unfurl until it reaches the size of a tennis court. The entire observatory is folded up to fit inside the launch vehicle and will unfold in space. This complex deployment sequence has never been attempted for a space telescope, and the amazing engineering that enabled Webb includes many innovations that push the boundaries of technology. Webb is a feat of human ingenuity. The mission has been developed over two decades, with contributions from thousands of scientists, engineers, and other professionals from more than 14 countries.
News Source: NASA
