The James Webb Space Telescope has finally arrived at its new home. After a Christmas launch and a month of unfolding and assembling itself in space, the new space observatory reached its final destination, a spot known as L2.
Guiding the telescope to L2 is “an incredible accomplishment by the entire team,” said Webb’s commissioning manager Keith Parrish in a January 24 news conference announcing the arrival. “The last 30 days, we call that ’30 days on the edge.’ We’re just so proud to be through that.” But the team’s work is not yet done. “We were just setting the table. We were just getting this beautiful spacecraft unfolded and ready to do science. So the best is yet to come,” he said.
The telescope can’t start doing science yet. “We’re a month in and the baby hasn’t even opened its eyes yet,” said Jane Rigby of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “Everything we’re doing is about getting the observatory ready to do transformative science. That’s why we’re here.”
