As the James Webb Space Telescope continues to gradually deploy, NASA has dropped some exciting news about the longevity of the mission.
As the James Webb Space Telescope continues to gradually unfurl ahead of its mission to explore the universe, NASA has dropped some exciting news about the longevity of the observatory.
The update came after analysis revealed that less propellant than originally planned will be required to put Webb on course for its destination orbit around L2, a point nearly a million miles from Earth that the observatory is expected to reach toward the end of January. The spacecraft carrying Webb uses propellant not only for reaching its destination orbit but also for necessary functions during the mission’s lifetime, “including ‘station keeping’ maneuvers — small thruster burns to adjust Webb’s orbit — as well as what’s known as momentum management, which maintains Webb’s orientation in space,” the space agency explained.
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