NASA
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone (specifically to my fellow Yanks)! Just thought I'd point out that fueling operations will now begin on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in French Guiana, South America, as it is now less than a month away from launch. The fueling operation will take 10 days to complete.
For those of you wondering, JWST's flight on an Ariane 5 rocket was delayed by four days after a mishap occurred with a clamp that was supposed to attach the telescope to its launch vehicle adapter. The clamp unexpectedly released during mating operations inside Guiana Space Centre's satellite preparation facility...causing a vibration that resonated throughout the telescope.
NASA spent the last two weeks or so (since the incident occurred) conducting tests to make sure that JWST was unharmed. And yesterday, the space agency concluded that the telescope remained healthy—which is why JWST is now scheduled to depart from Earth on December 22, at 4:20 AM, Pacific Standard Time (7:20 AM, Eastern Standard Time).
Assuming that JWST won't encounter another bout of misfortune, the next 27 days should be exciting as the most-powerful space telescope ever developed is on the verge of beginning a mission of immense cosmic discoveries!
Happy Holidays.
The James Webb Space Telescope is on track for a launch date of Dec. 22.
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) November 25, 2021
Additional testing, which was conducted due to an incident in launch preparations, concluded no observatory components were damaged. Observatory fueling operations begin on Nov. 25: https://t.co/3E4UopkVZG pic.twitter.com/aPZJPIBtCQ
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