According to NASA, the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope will have enough fuel to conduct its experiments for 10 years. Stay tuned to WTM News.
After the revolutionary and successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas Day and the beginning of a new exploration of scientists, NASA has now announced new details about the future of this telescope in its blog. According to the published report, the scientific mission of the Web Telescope will probably last more than 10 years, which is twice as much as the minimum time announced for space missions.
Scientists initially predicted that James Webb could be used for 5 to 10 years, but NASA’s latest analysis suggests that the telescope may have enough fuel to carry out its scientific operations for longer.
Enough fuel for the James Webb Space Telescope
According to NASA, the extra fuel of this telescope was created thanks to the accuracy of the Arian 5 rocket in launching, which was used by James Webb to enter space. The report also carefully points out the missile’s corrective maneuvers, which took place a few days after launch, and placed the telescope on its way to its destination one million miles from Earth.
As NASA explains, the precision of these maneuvers allows the spacecraft to have more fuel and be able to maintain its final position to observe the universe. However, the space agency has warned that many factors could affect the lifespan of the James Webb Telescope.
The accuracy of the launch path also allowed the telescope to deploy its solar shield web a little earlier. Deployment was originally scheduled to begin about 33 minutes after launch, but NASA said in a press release that this happened about 29 minutes after launch, as the space telescope was in position after successfully separating from the Arian 5 rocket. It was located correctly.
However, apparently, unlike the automatic shield deployment, the telescope’s future deployments, including parts of its original mirror, will be man-made.
