'James Webb' Space Telescope Finally Launched... Why Scientists Are Excited? [Reading Science]

NASA Successfully Launches Ariane 5 Rocket on Christmas Evening, December 25

The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the James Webb Space Telescope was launched at 9:20 PM on the 25th (Korean time). Photo by NASA

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Humanity's 'time machine' to glimpse the primordial universe, the James Webb Space Telescope, has been successfully launched. NASA announced on the 25th at 9:20 PM (Korean time) that the Ariane 5 rocket carrying the James Webb Space Telescope was successfully launched from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana.

The Webb Space Telescope boasts 10 to 100 times better resolution and sensitivity than the existing Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency, jointly developed and launched it since 2006 with a budget of about 10 billion dollars (12 trillion won). Planned since 1996 and constructed from 2006, it was launched after 15 years. Its goal is to measure the light pouring from the earliest galaxies of the early universe to uncover the secrets of cosmic creation, as well as to explore the presence of extraterrestrial planets and life obscured by distant cosmic dust clouds. Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, issued a statement immediately after the successful launch, saying, "The James Webb Space Telescope symbolizes humanity's dream to move into the future," and "The Webb telescope will reveal things about our universe that we do not or cannot understand. I am very excited to see what discoveries it will show us."

◇ 'Unprecedented Experiment' Even After Launch

The James Webb Telescope, successfully launched that day, separated from the Ariane 5 rocket as scheduled about 27 minutes later at an altitude of approximately 1,400 km, and 30 minutes later, it successfully deployed its solar panels to supply power. The telescope will then travel for about 29 days to reach the Lagrange Point L2, approximately 1.5 million km from Earth. The Lagrange Point L2 is an orbit where the gravitational forces between the Sun and Earth balance, allowing the telescope to orbit the Sun and perform its mission without additional propulsion. During this journey, the James Webb Telescope will undergo a challenging process to perform its mission properly. First, it must unfold its massive 6.5-meter diameter, 25 square meter primary mirror. NASA folded the mirror in half to fit it inside the payload bay of the Ariane 5 rocket during launch. Additionally, it must deploy a tennis-court-sized sunshield to block the Sun's heat and light, and test the operation of various advanced instruments, including fine adjustments of the mirror. By the 13th day after launch, the sunshield, support structures, and telescope will all be fully deployed.

Once at Lagrange Point L2, the Webb telescope will orbit the Sun in line with Earth, always facing the Sun. The sunshield will continuously block heat and light from the Sun, Earth, and Moon to prevent interference with observations. Communications will be conducted via NASA's Deep Space Network, a massive antenna system managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). To avoid the costly failures experienced by the Hubble Telescope, which broke down five times, NASA developers conducted dozens of repeated tests during production and equipped the telescope with onboard software capable of self-correcting errors via communication from Earth. Unlike the Hubble Telescope, which operated at an orbit of 600 km, the Webb telescope is 1.5 million km away, making it impossible to send astronauts for repairs currently. NASA plans to use SpaceX's developing Starship or its own Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rockets for potential repair missions once these are completed.

▲James Webb Space Telescope to be launched next year. [Photo by NASA/Northrop Grumman]

◇ 'Time Machine' Peering into the Secrets of the Early Universe 13.5 Billion Years Ago

The Webb telescope is expected to write a new chapter in humanity's cosmic observations, following the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. Including production and maintenance costs, about 11 billion dollars will be invested in the Webb telescope, which can capture near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths emitted from space with 10 to 100 times the resolution and sensitivity of the Hubble telescope. NASA states that it can observe infrared wavelengths from stars in the early universe about 13.5 billion years ago, roughly 200 million years after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, marking the end of the cosmic Dark Age. It is humanity's first telescope to observe the edge of the universe. Moreover, it can examine exoplanets with a high possibility of hosting life, aiding the search for extraterrestrial life. It can also observe early planetary disks and dust disks in other solar systems in detail, offering insights into the secrets of solar system formation. NASA said, "With innovative technology, it will explore all stages of cosmic history, from within our solar system to the most distant galaxies of the early universe," and "The Webb telescope will produce new and unexpected discoveries that help humanity understand the origin of the universe and our place within it."

▲The James Webb Space Telescope is revealed after completing the cryogenic test. [Photo by NASA]

◇ State-of-the-Art, Giant 'Origami-Style' Telescope

The Webb telescope is a giant telescope with a primary mirror 6.5 meters in diameter and 25 square meters in area. It consists of 18 hexagonal mirrors assembled in a honeycomb pattern. It is more than seven times larger in collecting area and has over 15 times the field of view compared to the Hubble telescope. It also features a diamond-shaped sunshield the size of a tennis court. The observable infrared wavelength range is 0.6 to 28.5 microns, and its optical resolution is about 0.1 arcseconds. It weighs approximately 6.21 tons (13,700 pounds), roughly the weight of a large bus.

The Webb telescope is equipped with cutting-edge instruments. NASA developers had to keep the telescope at cryogenic temperatures to detect the faintest infrared light. To achieve this, it includes a large ultra-sensitive infrared detector, thousands of tiny shutters called 'microshutters' that can measure hundreds of objects simultaneously, a cryogenic cooling system to block the Sun's heat and light, a five-layer sunshield the size of a tennis court, and ultra-low-power computers. During development, NASA engineers' mapping technology for ultra-precise mirror fabrication was also adapted for more precise eye surgeries by ophthalmologists.

◇ Who Was James Webb?

NASA named the next-generation space telescope after James Webb, who served as NASA's second administrator during the Kennedy administration in the 1960s. Originally a corporate budget expert, Webb was appointed NASA administrator by President Kennedy during the time when the entire United States was shocked by the Soviet Union's 'Sputnik Shock.' He is credited with laying the foundation for success by planning the Apollo program. NASA began the next-generation space telescope project in 1996 and finalized the name James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in 2002. Despite enormous budgets and setbacks including five malfunctions, the Webb telescope succeeds the 'great achievements' of the Hubble telescope. Although nicknamed a 'troublemaker,' the Hubble telescope enabled calculating the age of the universe with about 10% error margin and discovered the existence of 'dark matter,' among other outstanding scientific achievements. It has been operating for over 30 years since launch. The Webb telescope is designed for a 5-year lifespan but is expected to operate for decades, delivering humanity answers to the mysteries and enigmas of the universe.