The James Webb telescope successfully unfolded the main mirror
The James Webb Infrared Space Telescope successfully deployed the main mirror and recorded the position of its segments. Thus, the phase of deployment of the observatory in space is completely completed, according to NASA’s Twitter,
Ukraine , Ukraingate , 9 , January , 2022 | Technology
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The final operation of the deployment of “James Webb” was the layout of its main mirror. On January 5, 2022, a secondary mirror was unfolded. On January 7, the observatory deployed and recorded the position of the left side section of the main mirror, which contains 3 segments, and on January 8 – the right side section.
Thus, the observatory has completed all the main stages of deployment – the support tower, heat shield, solar panel, radiators and optical system. When the main mirror has cooled, engineers will begin to accurately correct the position of all 18 segments. At the end of its 29-day flight to the second Lagrange point (L2) in the Sun-Earth system, the observatory will make the final inclusion of engines to enter the halo orbit around L2.
The most powerful telescope
Development of the telescope began in 1996. It was originally planned to be launched in 2007, but the mission faced a number of postponements and delays. As a result, the project’s budget has increased to $ 9.7 billion, of which $ 861 million will be spent in the first five years after launch.
James Webb will study the galaxies of the early universe, study the formation of new stars and observe the planets of the solar system.
The launch of the telescope was postponed several times last year. Yes, it was planned that it would be launched on December 18, then the start was postponed to December 22, and later – to December 24. The launch took place on December 25.
Source: Ukrgate
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