The James Webb Telescope Can Finally Head To L2 With A Perfect Body Thanks To This!

The Webb Telescope is an unprecedented mission. (photo: doc. NASA)

Teleskop James Webb Akhirnya Bisa Menuju ke L2 dengan Tubuh Sempurna Berkat Ini!

JAKARTA - The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has finished opening its main mirror, and concludes a series of refinement processes that spanned a span of two weeks, to begin its operational process.

The Webb telescope has two main mirror panels on either side that will be used to collect infrared light from the distant universe.

Each consists of three gold-plated hexagonal mirrors. Now the far right-wing was successfully deployed on Friday, January 7, just one day after the far left wing was deployed on Saturday, January 8, after being folded to fit inside the nose cone of the Ariane 5 rocket that launched the telescope on December 25, 2021.

Now that both sides are locked into place, this completes the array of 18 mirrors that make up the 21-foot-wide Webb Telescope.

“Today, NASA is reaching another engineering milestone in decades. Even though his journey isn't over yet, I join the Webb team to breathe a sigh of relief and envision future breakthroughs that will inspire the world," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Nelson added, "The Webb Telescope is an unprecedented mission that is on the brink of seeing the light from the first galaxies and discovering the mysteries of the universe.

The mission is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). With the mirror deployment and other components completed, the Webb Telescope is now heading into orbit around the second Lagrange point, known as L2.

L2 itself is located 1 million miles from Earth. From here, it will be able to observe distant galaxies to study the early universe and search for exoplanets to see if they have atmospheres and could potentially support life.

"Webb's successful deployment demonstrates the best of what NASA has to offer, (namely) a willingness to try bold and challenging things in the name of discoveries that are still unknown," said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. .

In about two weeks time, the Webb Telescope will reach its final destination in space. We'll have to wait to get the first few stunning images from the Webb Telescope. This is quoted from Digital Trends, Monday, January 10.