JAKARTA – The American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released some interesting information about the James Webb Space Telescope, which is now continuing to expand gradually before its mission to explore the universe.
The giant observatory was originally thought to last between five and 10 years, but after a recent analysis of propellant levels, NASA says the Webb Telescope could peer into space in more than a decade.
“Webb’s team has analyzed its initial trajectory and determined that the observatory must have sufficient propellant to allow support for science operations in orbit for more than the 10-year lifetime of science,” NASA said.
The analysis revealed that the Webb Telescope needed less propellant than originally planned, to position the telescope around L2 as its final destination, the point nearly one million miles from Earth that the observatory expected to reach by the end of January.
“(This) exceeds the requirements necessary to put Webb on the right track,” NASA said. Meanwhile, along with the first precision, the mid-way correction maneuver, had given Webb a good start to his mission.
But quoting Digital Trends, Thursday, December 30, on the one hand NASA still needs to be careful, because there will be many factors that can ultimately affect the duration of Webb’s operation.
The spacecraft carrying Webb, owned by European space company Arianespace, namely Ariane 5 uses propellants not only to reach its destination orbit but also for the functions required during the mission.
“This includes station guard maneuvers, small thrusters that fire to adjust Webb’s orbit and what’s known as momentum management, which maintains Webb’s orientation in space,” NASA said.
Previously proclaimed, at a cost of more than 10 billion US dollars. The Webb telescope will provide tantalizing new information about the universe, including its beginnings.
Years of late flight, the Webb Telescope will look back and examine how this Solar System got its start, when the first stars and galaxies formed, while also examining the atmospheres of planets orbiting stars closer to home.
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