It’s now old news that the James Webb Telescope was successfully launched on Christmas Day. But last Saturday marked another historic moment for this incredible human artifact:
After a quarter-century of effort by tens of thousands of people, more than $10 billion in taxpayer funding, and some 350 deployment mechanisms that had to go just so, the James Webb Space Telescope fully unfurled its wings. The massive spacecraft completed its final deployments, and, by God, the process went smoothly.
Ars Technica’s Eric Berger has long been my go-to pusher for space-related stuff. His report on Saturday’s milestone is accurate and to the point as usual. Today he has another article on ESA Arianne 5’s fundamental contribution to the mission. I love how modern, successful space missions are almost always the result of no-bullshit joint efforts by multiple international actors.
Update: The James Webb Telescope has reached its final destination.