After a long wave of delays, NASA finally launched its next-generation James Webb Space Telescope last Christmas. It marked a very important event for science, as the telescope aims to solve many mysteries of the Universe in general and galaxies in particular.
It seemed like only a matter of time until James Webb would achieve certain and important milestones. And it happened likewise!
Reaching one million miles away from Earth
According to SciTechDaily.com, yesterday (January 24), the James Webb Space Telescope made it to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), which means about 1 million miles away from our planet.
Bill Nelson, the NASA Administrator, declared as quoted by SciTechDaily.com:
Webb, welcome home!
Congratulations to the team for all of their hard work ensuring Webb’s safe arrival at L2 today. We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!
CBS News also speaks about Webb’s achievement:
James Webb will soon begin exploring some of the most distant stars and galaxies from the Universe.
NASA’s telescope has fuel for more than a decade, which would assure it will be working in great conditions for a long time. Here’s what the space agency wrote about a month ago:
The analysis shows that less propellant than originally planned for is needed to correct Webb’s trajectory toward its final orbit around the second Lagrange point known as L2, a point of gravitational balance on the far side of Earth away from the Sun. Consequently, Webb will have much more than the baseline estimate of propellant – though many factors could ultimately affect Webb’s duration of operation.
Astronomers have great plans regarding the James Webb Space Telescope, as it’s expected to revolutionize the way scientists know the Universe.
