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  • Last Week of 2021 Sees New Space Research Kick Off

    The seven-member Expedition 66 crew is going into the final week of 2021 with a host of science experiments exploring numerous space phenomena benefitting astronauts in space and humans on Earth. NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Kayla Barron worked on a pair of space farming studies during Monday afternoon exploring a variety of …

  • More Than You Wanted to Know About Webb’s Mid-Course Corrections!

    An drawing of Webb's orbit around the L2 point.

    On Dec. 25, the Webb team successfully executed the first of three planned orbit corrections to get Webb into its halo orbit around the second Lagrange point, L2. To hear more about these important maneuvers, here is Randy Kimble, the Webb Integration, Test, and Commissioning Project Scientist, at NASA Goddard: In sending the Webb Observatory …

  • Webb Antenna Released and Tested

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    Shortly after 10 am EST on Dec. 26, the Webb team began the process of releasing the gimbaled antenna assembly, or GAA, which includes Webb's high-data-rate dish antenna. This antenna will be used to send at least 28.6 Gbytes of science data down from the observatory, twice a day. The team has now released and …

  • The First Mid-Course Correction Burn 

    Visualization of James Webb Space Telescope initiating thrusters for a course correction burn.

    At 7:50 pm EST, Webb's first mid-course correction burn began. It lasted 65 minutes and is now complete. This burn is one of two milestones that are time critical — the first was the solar array deployment, which happened shortly after launch. This burn adjusts Webb's trajectory toward the second Lagrange point, commonly known as L2. After launch, Webb needs to make its own mid-course thrust correction maneuvers to get to its orbit. …

  • What it felt like at Mission Ops Control when we launched JWST

    Jane Rigby sits in front of her computers while supporting the launch of Webb.

    The James Webb Space Telescope is on its way! The mission launched on an Ariane 5 rocket at 7:20 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 25. Jane Rigby, the operations project scientist for Webb at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, told us what it was like to be supporting the launch from the …

  • Webb Is On Its Way!

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    The James Webb Space Telescope is safely in space, powered on and communicating with ground controllers. Webb continues in coast phase, and is now oriented correctly with respect to the Sun. The six reaction wheels of the spacecraft's attitude control system have been powered on, and they are now responsible for keeping the spacecraft pointing …

  • Solar Array Deployed

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    At approximately 30 minutes after launch, Webb's solar array began to open up. It is now fully deployed and we have confirmed that the spacecraft is power positive.

  • Upper Stage Separation

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    The Ariane 5 upper stage brought the James Webb Space Telescope up to a speed of approximately 22 thousand miles per hour – headed for its final orbit around the second Lagrange point, commonly known as L2. The upper stage engine has now cut off and the spacecraft has separated. An extra battery on the …

  • Main Stage Separation

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    After exhausting all its fuel and bringing Webb to speeds of approximately 16 thousand miles per hour, the main stage engine of the Ariane 5 has shut down and been jettisoned. The upper stage engine has ignited. It will burn for approximately 16 minutes, beginning Webb on its journey to its final orbit around the …