The James Webb Space Telescope has successfully completed the final phase of its deployment this Saturday (8), along with its main mirror, and is already in its final configuration to be able to begin, in just over five months, its exploration of the universe.
“The final wing is now deployed,” NASA said on Twitter, adding that the team is now working to “secure the wing in place, in a process that takes several hours.”
The main mirror of this iconic telescope is about 6.5 meters in diameter, so it was too large to accommodate a rocket, as it was when it was launched two weeks ago. Because of this, its sides were curved.
NASA said the first of these wings were deployed on Friday and the second on Saturday morning as planned.
Deployment was a complex and challenging task, according to the US space agency. They defined the project as the scariest of all because of the complexity.
Webb, the most powerful space telescope ever built and behind Hubble, took off on an Ariane 5 rocket in French Guiana on December 25 and headed toward its orbit point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
His infrared technology allows him to see the first stars and galaxies that formed 13.5 billion years ago, giving astronomers a new perspective on the early universe.
“Before the celebration, we still have work to do,” NASA expressed in its live updates. “Once the final lock is secured, the entire NASA Web will be deployed into space,” he said.
earlier this week, The telescope opened its five-layer heat shield, a 21-meter-long device that acts as a shade for the sun, ensuring that Webb’s instruments stay in the shade so they can detect faint infrared signals from far regions of the universe.
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