Corroborating with previous reports and speculations, NASA and ESA have confirmed that the James Webb Space Telescope won’t embrace the skies on October 31 as scheduled previously. As per the comments by the telescope’s director for launch services Beatriz Romero, three new issues have emerged, pushing the launch date further ahead, reports Ars Technica.
Three major issues
The first issue is organizing the shipment of the space observatory from Houston, Texas to the launch site, which is taking longer than it should. The journey is around 3,200 miles and will be transported by sea. But it hasn’t been packed into a shipping container yet and could take more time.
Second, Arianespace’s workhorse Ariane 5 rocket that is assigned the task to carry the space telescope into orbit has an issue with the part that houses payloads. Although the issue has been fixed, there are two launches to test the rocket that needs to happen before the actual launch.
Lastly, the operations at the spaceport in French Guiana have been affected due to the pandemic, and it’s difficult to predict how the situation would be in the coming months. These factors could push the launch further but not for too long. The team is hoping to send the telescope into space by November or December. The team will soon announce the new launch date.
Will find life on other planets
Once the telescope reaches its targeted orbit, it will try to find habitable planets, search light from galaxies that formed during the initial days of the universe. It will also gather data to enable scientists to learn the origins of the universe and Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope is an international collaboration between NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency. It was originally pegged to launch in 2007, but several issues during the testing have caused major delays. Despite recent hiccups, the team is confident that it will join the Hubble Space Telescope in space this year.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be capable of detecting life signatures on other planets in just 60 hours. This will start a new era in astronomy as gas dwarf planets are believed to be able of fostering life.
