James Webb Space Telescope has suffered a series of delays but might finally take flight soon. The space telescope will soon join the legendary Hubble Space Telescope that has been operational for over three decades. Once launched into orbit, the James Webb telescope will observe the cosmos, from exoplanets to black holes.
The space observatory has already reached three milestones in its final testing phase. Firstly, its “lens cap” has been removed, which is also known as the aft optics subsystem cover. It keeps the instruments protected during assembly and prevents contaminations.
Final testing phase underway
Secondly, the space telescope has a tower of 10 feet that keeps the mirrors and instruments separate from the side of the telescope that faces the sun. This keeps the instruments’ temperature in check, keeping their readings unaffected from the sun’s heat. The tower was recently deployed to check if it’s functioning properly.
Lastly, the James Webb telescope needs to shrink into a small volume to fit inside the Ariane 5 rocket that will ferry it to orbit. This requires a complex system of folding parts. On top, there will be a sunshield called the unitized pallet structure. The pallet has now been folded and is ready for launch.
November launch date seems likely
The James Webb Space Telescope was put through these tests at a Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, California. Once all testing is finished, the space observatory will be folded and shipped to Kourou, French Guiana for its launch slated for November this year.
After embracing the skies, the telescope will be able to detect ammonia around six gas dwarf planets after just a few orbits. It means that James Webb can potentially find life signatures on other planets in just 60 hours. It could be groundbreaking as gas dwarf planets are believed to be capable of fostering life.
The space telescope was earlier scheduled to launch in 2020; however, after the coronavirus pandemic hit, the launch date had to be moved to 2021. The telescope will now be launched in November.
