After years of postponement, one of the most anticipated events for astronomical observation has finally taken place: the james webb telescope
took off this December 25 at 1:20 p.m. from Guyanese Space Center
. A success for Ariane 5, and a Christmas present for the entire space community!
The long journey to the Point de Lagrange L2 begins …
The good, the bad, the ugly and the JWST
Here is a mission prepared for years … With additional pressure for the teams of CNES, ArianeGroup and all those who deal with Ariane 5: the presence of the Americans accompanying the 10 billion dollar telescope, and the eyes of the world riveted on the results of the launch. This was indeed one of the most critical missions for the European rocket, although it has already faced similar expectations in the past with the Rosetta, BepiColombo probes and, to a lesser extent, with customers ” regulars ”and their telecommunications satellites. After an uneventful countdown on December 25, Ariane 5 started its main engine at 1:20 p.m. Paris, before taking off in the Guyanese sky and its heavy clouds.
No more biting your nails
The mission lasted 27 minutes and 11 seconds in all, and became irreversible as soon as the two Ariane 5 powder boosters were switched on at T + 7 seconds. The rocket quickly headed for the sky, and the stages (a little anxiously, it must be admitted) followed one another. Switching to Mach 1, then switching off and ejecting the EAP boosters at T + 2 m 21 s and already 70 kilometers in altitude, before waiting for the main stage to switch off at T + 8 m 47 s… All of this takes time. At T + 25 minutes, the die was cast, since the main engine of the second stage of Ariane 5 stopped, before ejection. It seems from the telemetry results that everything went well, and fortunately. With all these critical phases, there was no room for error, even if the flight profile was unprecedented for the European rocket. The JWST is on its way to the Point de Lagrange L2, and we even saw the telescope extend its solar panels during the live!
A very long ride on the merry-go-round
NASA has made available a Webb page (good ok, it was easy) to follow the state of the telescope and the various major stages of its upcoming deployment. As you probably know, takeoff was only the first of a multitude of actions that will allow the most sophisticated of space telescopes to operate 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
Its journey will last a few weeks, but the full deployment will be six months, again with critical steps such as the installation of its “sun visor” at T + 3 days, or the extension of the beams supporting the secondary mirror at T + 10 days. Patience, therefore, we must not proclaim victory too soon to be able to observe the Universe (we will come back in detail on the instruments and on the promises of the JWST when they become concrete!). Especially since the telescope does not embed a control camera, it will therefore be necessary to rely on the onboard sensors and various artist’s views. Until then, however, the Guyanese Space Center teams can take their breath away, because for them, mission accomplished. And brilliantly.
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