James Webb Christmas launch, SpaceX finishes the year & more top stories
While the week of Christmas was a slow one, there were two highly anticipated launches. Check out this week’s top stories below.
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Merry Christmas and happy James Webb Space Telescope launch day!
This morning, the spaceflight and science communities held their breath as Arianespace launched the long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope. But, while the launch is now done, Webb has a long trip to go and many more obstacles to face.
Expand Expanding CloseHow to watch NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launch on Christmas day
The largest and most powerful telescope ever made is finally set to launch on Christmas day. After years of delays, the long-anticipated James Webb Space Telescope has been given the green light for lift-off. Here’s how you can tune in live.
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Launch Spotlight: Arianespace to launch NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5 rocket
This weekend Arianespace will be entrusted to launch NASA’s most expensive and new flagship space telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope launch will be one of the biggest butt-puckering events of Webb’s deployment. The feeling will stay for the following months as the rest of the systems come online and parts of the telescope attempt to deploy. Learn everything about the launch below.
Launch Date: Saturday, December 25, 7:20 a.m. EST
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle and NASA partner up to create James Webb Space Telescope 3D model
In just a few weeks, decades of hard work will start its journey to space and begin paying dividends as NASA‘s James Webb Space Telescope finally becomes operational. Google and NASA partnered up to celebrate the launch.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s DART launches, new shiny Electron booster, and more top stories
On this Thanksgiving week we had some major events and updates come from the spaceflight industry. Catch up on what happened below.
Expand Expanding CloseHardware issue delays launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, slipping closer to Christmas Day [Update: No additional damge]
NASA announced Monday that the launch of its next-generation space telescope would move to December 22 after an issue with one of the adapter clamps caused vibrations to the observatory.
Update: NASA confirmed in a blog post that no additional damage was seen during testing.
Expand Expanding CloseAriane 5 lifts final payload before NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope flight
Last night Arianespace launched their 111th Ariane 5 mission to space carrying satellites for SES and the French military. This marked its final flight of the Ariane 5 before it launches NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in December.
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New photos show James Webb telescope standing at Arianespace’s processing facility
The new flagship telescope for NASA and its partnering nations is preparing to launch beyond the Moon from French Guiana. The James Webb telescope is now seen at Arianespace’s clean room getting ready for launch vehicle integration.
Expand Expanding CloseJames Webb Space Telescope arrives in French Guiana ahead of December launch
After a secretive voyage from California (to avoid pirates) the James Webb Space Telescope has safely arrived in French Guiana aboard MN Colibri.
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SmarterEveryDay discusses James Webb Space Telescope with Senior Project Scientist [Video]
With the James Webb Space Telescope coming up in December, Destin Sandlin (SmarterEveryDay) shared a video recorded in 2017 where he sat down with the senior project scientist, Dr. John Mather.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA Announces Virtual Webb STEAM Day Event for Students, Educators
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is getting ready to launch to space from French Guiana in early December. NASA announced a STEAM Day for students and educators to get ready for the big day ahead of the launch.
Expand Expanding CloseJames Webb Space Telescope working towards December launch, new SpaceX Starship render & more top stories
This week, the target launch date for the James Webb Space telescope was announced, SpaceX released a new render of Starship Super Heavy, and Inspiration4 works toward launch.
Expand Expanding Close[Update: Launch date annouced] Upper stage of Ariane 5 rocket for James Webb Space Telescope launch arrives in French Guiana
Last Friday, cargo ship MN Toucan arrived in French Guiana carrying the upper stage and fairing of the Ariane 5 rocket that will launch the James Webb Space Telescope later this year.
Expand Expanding CloseAriane 5 launches satellites into geostationary orbit
Sunshield for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully unfolds in final test
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a sizeable next-generation space telescope set to be launched sometime in 2021. As the launch window approaches, the telescope has gone through a series of tests to ensure its space readiness. The most recent of those tests involved unfolding the telescope’s sunshield.
Expand Expanding CloseJames Webb Space Telescope launch missing March 2021 target due to COVID-19
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the “largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built and launched into space,” NASA says.
But preparing the giant space telescope for launch requires people, and COVID-19 severely limited the workforce at NASA for the last three months.
Given recent remote work requirements, NASA no longer believes it can launch the James Webb Space Telescope by March 2021 as previously planned.
Video: Time-lapse of NASA’s James Webb space telescope assembly, sunshield deployment
The major milestone of assembly was reached in California last August. Today we get a time-lapse video of that process from Northrop Grumman’s clean room.
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