” The James Webb Space Telescope is a colossal achievement, developed to change our view of deep space and deliver remarkable science,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Webb will recall over 13 billion years to the light created just after the big bang, with the power to reveal humanity the limits of space that we have ever seen. We are now really near to unlocking mysteries of the universes, thanks to the skills and proficiency of our extraordinary team.”
The MN Colibri got here Oct. 12 at Port de Pariacabo on the Kourou River in French Guiana, carrying NASAs James Webb Space Telescope as freight. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
After completing testing in August at Northrop Grummans Space Park in Redondo Beach, California, the Webb group spent almost a month folding, stowing, and preparing the huge observatory for delivery to South America. Webb was delivered in a custom-built, environmentally managed container.
Late in the evening of Friday, September 24, Webb traveled with a cops escort 26 miles through the streets of Los Angeles, from Northrop Grummans facility in Redondo Beach to Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. There, it was loaded onto the MN Colibri, a French-flagged freight ship that has formerly transported satellites and spaceflight hardware to Kourou. The MN Colibri left Seal Beach Sunday, September 26 and went into the Panama Canal Tuesday, October 5 on its way to Kourou.
The ocean journey represented the last leg of Webbs long, earthbound journeys over the years. The telescope was assembled at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, starting in 2013. In 2017, it was delivered to NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston for cryogenic screening at the historic “Chamber A” test facility, popular for its usage during the Apollo objectives. In 2018, Webb delivered to Space Park in California, where for 3 years it underwent strenuous testing to guarantee its readiness for operations in the environment of space.
We are going to see things in the universe beyond what we can even imagine today,” stated Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Now that Webb has actually shown up in Kourou, were getting it all set for launch in December– and then we will view in suspense over the next few weeks and months as we introduce and prepared the largest space telescope ever developed.”
After Webb is eliminated from its shipping container, engineers will run last examine the observatorys condition. Webb will then be set up for flight, which includes packing the spacecraft with propellants, before Webb is installed on top of the rocket and confined in the fairing for launch.
” Webbs arrival at the launch website is a special celebration,” stated Gregory Robinson, Webbs program director at NASA Headquarters. Webb has crossed the nation and taken a trip by sea.
For more on this story, read $10 Billion Webb Space Telescope Arrives at Europes Spaceport.
After the custom-built shipping container bring Webb is unloaded from the MN Colibri, Webb will be transferred to its launch website, Europes Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
NASAs James Webb Space Telescope effectively showed up in French Guiana Tuesday (October 12, 2021), after a 16-day journey at sea. The 5,800-mile voyage took Webb from California through the Panama Canal to Port de Pariacabo on the Kourou River in French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America.
The worlds largest and most complex space science observatory will now be driven to its launch site, Europes Spaceport in Kourou, where it will start two months of functional preparations before its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket, arranged for December 18.
When functional, Webb will reveal insights about all stages of cosmic history– back to just after the huge bang– and will assist look for indications of prospective habitability among the countless exoplanets scientists have discovered in the last few years. The objective is a global partnership led by NASA, in collaboration with the Canadian and european space agencies.
” The James Webb Space Telescope is a colossal achievement, developed to change our view of the universe and provide amazing science,” stated NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Webb will look back over 13 billion years to the light created simply after the huge bang, with the power to reveal mankind the farthest reaches of space that we have actually ever seen. In 2018, Webb shipped to Space Park in California, where for three years it went through strenuous testing to guarantee its preparedness for operations in the environment of space.
“Now that Webb has actually gotten here in Kourou, were getting it ready for launch in December– and then we will view in thriller over the next few weeks and months as we launch and ready the largest space telescope ever developed.”
” Webbs arrival at the launch website is a momentous celebration,” stated Gregory Robinson, Webbs program director at NASA Headquarters.
