NASA’s Webb Reaches Alignment Milestone, Optics Working Successfully “On March 11, the Webb team completed the stage of alignment known as “fine phasing.” At this key stage in the commissioning of Webb’s Optical Telescope Element, every optical parameter that has been checked and tested is performing at, or above, expectations. The team also found no critical issues and no measurable contamination or blockages to Webb’s optical path. The observatory is […]

James Webb Space Telescope 26 December, 2021 Update – First Mid-Course Correction Burn Completed, NASA “At 7:50 pm EST, December 25, 2021, Webb’s first mid-course correction burn began. It lasted 65 minutes and is now complete. This burn is one of two milestones that are time critical — the first was the solar array deployment, which happened shortly after launch.” NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launches in French Guiana, Washington […]

The James Webb Space Telescope Has Left Earth “The James Webb Space Telescope is safely in space, powered on and communicating with ground controllers. Webb continues in coast phase, and is now oriented correctly with respect to the Sun. At approximately 30 minutes after launch, Webb’s solar array began to open up. It is now fully deployed and we have confirmed that the spacecraft is power positive.” James Webb Space […]

NASA: Lessons from Ongoing Major Projects Can Inform Management of Future Space Telescopes, GAO “The projects in NASA’s current portfolio of major space telescopes–JWST, Roman, and SPHEREx–have roots in past decadal surveys on Astronomy and Astrophysics from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. NASA is now considering the results of the National Academies’ 2020 decadal survey, which may spur new projects in this portfolio. NASA has made improvements […]

Testing Confirms Webb Telescope on Track for Targeted Dec. 22 Launch, Arianespace “Engineering teams have completed additional testing confirming NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is ready for flight, and launch preparations are resuming toward Webb’s target launch date of Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 7:20 a.m. EST. Additional testing was conducted this week to ensure the observatory’s health following an incident that occurred when the release of a clamp band caused […]

James Webb Space Telescope: Project Nearing Completion, but Work to Resolve Challenges Continues “Since 2019, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project, one of the agency’s most complex science missions, has made considerable progress toward launch–now planned for October 2021–by resolving technical issues, but some schedule and cost challenges remain. For example, in March 2021, NASA officials reported that launch vehicle anomalies that the […]

Keith’s note: The following full page color advertisement by Northrop Grumman appears on page A5 of today’s Washington Post (larger image). “MAKING HISTORY REQUIRES MISSION SUCCESS. Northrop Grumman is proud to lead the industry team of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the largest, most complex and powerful space telescope ever built. Webb will fundamentally alter our understanding of the universe, and we are focused on ensuring that this once-unthinkable […]

NASA Hosts Media Teleconference on Status of James Webb Space Telescope NASA’s Webb Observatory Requires More Time for Testing and Evaluation; New Launch Window Under Review “NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope currently is undergoing final integration and test phases that will require more time to ensure a successful mission. After an independent assessment of remaining tasks for the highly complex space observatory, Webb’s previously revised 2019 launch window now is […]

Statement on NSF Record of Decision on Arecibo Observatory, NSF “On Nov. 15, 2017, the National Science Foundation (NSF) signed its Record of Decision for the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. This important step concludes the agency’s decision-making process with respect to the general path forward for facility operations in a budget-constrained environment and provides the basis for a future decision regarding a new collaborator.”

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Initiate Section 106 Consultation for Proposed Changes to Arecibo Observatory Operations, Arecibo, Puerto Rico and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Comment Period, NSF “Through a series of academic community-based reviews, NSF has identified the need to divest several facilities from its portfolio in order to retain the balance of capabilities needed to deliver the best performance on the key […]