NASA has announced that the mirror alignment of the James Webb Space Telescope is complete.
The mission engineers conducted a comprehensive inspection of the observatory and found that it obtained sharp images and worked in coordination with each of its four science instruments.
To mark the occasion, NASA released a series of technical images showing the field of view of each instrument, proving that the telescope was perfectly aligned and focused.
Over the next two weeks, mission officers will conduct the final series of preparations and calibration that will lead to James Webb’s entry into service this summer.
The telescope flew on December 25 on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European spaceport of Kourou, in French Guiana. It is designed to observe the outer reach of the cosmos more than ever before. One of its main objectives is to detect the light of the earliest stars and galaxies, which appeared over 13.5 billion years ago.
Canada provides two major instruments for space telescopes. The first is the Precision Guidance Sensor (FGS), which is intended to keep the telescope on target, and the second is the Near Infrared Slitless Imager and Spectrograph (NIRISS), which studies the atmosphere of exoplanets.
Source: Radio-Canada
