Main Stage Separation
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 second Lagrange point, commonly known as L2, a point on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, directly on a path towards L2 on which it will continue for four weeks.
The Ariane 5 upper stage will now begin a special rolling maneuver to protect Webb from solar radiation after fairing separation. It will continue this maneuver until Webb is released from the upper stage, planned within the next 20 minutes.
