NASA's Webb telescope launches to see first galaxies, distant worlds


Date:
December 25, 2021
Source:
NASA
Summary:
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched Dec. 25 from Europe's
Spaceport in French Guiana, South America. The Webb observatory's
mission is 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.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== [James Webb Space | Credit: (c) dottedyeti / stock.adobe.com] James Webb
Space Telescope illustration (stock image).

Credit: (c) dottedyeti / stock.adobe.com [James Webb Space | Credit:
(c) dottedyeti / stock.adobe.com] James Webb Space Telescope illustration (stock image).

Credit: (c) dottedyeti / stock.adobe.com Close NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched at 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.


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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.

"The James Webb Space Telescope represents the ambition that NASA and
our partners maintain to propel us forward into the future," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "The promise of Webb is not what we know we
will discover; it's what we don't yet understand or can't yet fathom about
our universe. I can't wait to see what it uncovers!" Ground teams began receiving telemetry data from Webb about five minutes after launch. The Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket performed as expected, separating from the observatory 27 minutes into the flight. The observatory was released at
an altitude of approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers). Approximately
30 minutes after launch, Webb unfolded its solar array, and mission
managers confirmed that the solar array was providing power to the
observatory. After solar array deployment, mission operators will
establish a communications link with the observatory via the Malindi
ground station in Kenya, and ground control at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore will send the first commands to the spacecraft.

Engineers and ground controllers will conduct the first of three
mid-course correction burns about 12 hours and 30 minutes after launch,
firing Webb's thrusters to maneuver the spacecraft on an optimal
trajectory toward its destination in orbit about 1 million miles from
Earth.

"I want to congratulate the team on this incredible achievement -- Webb's launch marks a significant moment not only for NASA, but for thousands of people worldwide who dedicated their time and talent to this mission over
the years," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Webb's scientific promise is now closer than it ever has been. We are poised on the edge
of a truly exciting time of discovery, of things we've never before
seen or imagined." 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 launch of the Webb Space Telescope is a pivotal moment -- this is
just the beginning for the Webb mission," said Gregory L. Robinson,
Webb's program director at NASA Headquarters. "Now we will watch
Webb's highly anticipated and critical 29 days on the edge. When the
spacecraft unfurls in space, Webb will undergo the most difficult and
complex deployment sequence ever attempted in space. Once commissioning
is complete, we will see awe-inspiring images that will capture our imagination." 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.

NASA Headquarters oversees the mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland,
manages Webb for the agency and oversees work on the mission performed
by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Northrop Grumman, and other
mission partners. In addition to Goddard, several NASA centers contributed
to the project, including the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Marshall Space Flight
Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Ames Research Center in California's
Silicon Valley, and others.

For more information about the Webb mission, visit: https://webb.nasa.gov ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by NASA. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


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Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211225074846.htm

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