'The Eye of Humanity' James Webb Space Telescope Successfully Reaches Target Orbit [Reading Science]

Mission Execution Starting Late June After Preparations Including Optical Equipment Calibration

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The state-of-the-art James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), capable of peering into the distant universe, has arrived at its target location after a one-month journey and has begun preparations for its full-scale mission.

According to NASA on the 25th, the Webb telescope fired its thrusters for about five minutes at 2 p.m. on the 24th (Eastern Time) to adjust its course and successfully settled into the originally targeted Lagrange Point 2 (L2) orbit. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, "We are one step closer to unveiling the mysteries of the universe," adding, "I really look forward to seeing the first observational data that the Webb telescope will send this summer."

The Webb telescope was launched on December 25 last year from the French Guiana Space Center aboard an Ariane 5 rocket and traveled approximately 1.6 million kilometers over about a month. After launch, it successfully completed unprecedentedly complex tasks such as unfolding its primary mirror, which was folded on both sides, and carefully deploying and tensioning its five-layer sunshield. The L2 point where the Webb telescope arrived is considered an optimal location for observing space, as the gravitational forces of the Earth and the Sun and the centrifugal force balance out, allowing it to orbit the Sun without additional propulsion. Developed jointly by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, the Webb telescope is equipped with cutting-edge technology costing over 10 billion dollars. It features a gold-coated primary mirror (6.52 meters in diameter) and secondary mirrors that detect infrared light, as well as a sunshield the size of a tennis court. Its performance is about 100 times better than the existing Hubble Space Telescope, enabling it to capture infrared light coming from the distant universe 13.5 billion light-years away.

Over the next approximately five months, the Webb telescope's instruments must be cooled down to minus 233 degrees Celsius to operate optimally. Additionally, the 18 segments of the primary mirror need to be precisely aligned to function perfectly as a single mirror. Full-scale observation and data transmission missions are expected to begin around the end of June. The main mission of the Webb telescope is to capture light from the universe’s first stars and galaxies located 13.5 billion light-years away from Earth. Another key mission is to search for signs of life on exoplanets outside the solar system. Although its designed lifespan is five years and planned lifespan is ten years, it is expected to perform its mission for at least 20 years or more.