This artist’s conception of the James Webb Space Telescope in space shows all its major elements fully deployed. The telescope was folded to fit into its launch vehicle, and then was slowly unfolded over the course of two weeks after launch. Valley News/NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team fully deployed its 21-foot, gold-coated primary mirror, successfully completing the final stage of all major spacecraft deployments to prepare for science operations.A joint effort with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, the Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history, from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.“Today, NASA achieved another engineering milestone decades in the making. While the journey is not complete, I join the Webb team in breathing a little easier and imagining the future breakthroughs bound to inspire the world,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “The James Webb Space Telescope is an unprecedented mission that is on the precipice of s
