NASA's Webb Telescope Continues Journey

The new James Webb Space Telescope has made its way successfully into space, beginning its unfolding process while completing the first phase of its flight trajectory.

The telescope will build on the successful Hubble Space Telescope's body of work, integrating more sensitive and advanced sensing equipment and cameras on the cutting edge of technology. The Webb represents some of, if not the greatest engineering NASA has ever created, boasting a lightweight but robust, stowable system that fits in the relatively modest nose of its Ariane 5 launch vehicle, about 18 by 56 feet. Once positioned, the sensor array will dwarf Hubble's 7.8-foot mirror, boasting a 21-foot multi-layered array. At full stature, its sunshields will have a footprint about half as large as a Boeing 737, 

The compacted, temporarily folded spacecraft is now in the process of unpacking itself, releasing its protective sunshield cover in preparation to unfurl itself to its full size.

Webb will take some time to completely reconfigure itself into operational status, with each piece of its carefully planned, choreographed blooming taking place at specific points in its journey. With the sunshield protection membrane moved out of the way, the next step will be the extension of the midboom to pull the first half of the reflective shield more tautly in preparation for the next step. Future steps will see further tightening of the shields before its fully tightened final position. Once in position, the mirror assembly will begin its own multi-stage unfolding procedures. 

FMI: www.webb.nasa.gov