The James Webb space telescope that will replace Hubble already has a new launch date: December 22. This observatory has been the result of the collaboration of several space agencies, including NASA and the European Space Agency .
After the delay that NASA announced on November 22, it seems that the James Webb will begin to mark a before and after in space exploration. Apparently, the postponement of the launch was due to an anomaly in the anchoring system of the telescope with the rocket that is going to put it into orbit (Ariane 5).
The observer’s technicians explained that when they wanted to attach the Web to the Ariane 5, they discovered that one of the tie-down bands suddenly came loose. This situation gave rise to vibrations that could lead to the failure of the mission.
However, after some analysis, they discovered that these vibrations do not affect the space telescope and NASA has decided to continue with the preparations to launch it in the penultimate week of this 2021.
Now, the most remarkable preparation is the loading of 240 liters of hydrazine and dinitrogen tetraoxide oxidant to the Webb so that the 20 thrusters that allow the telescope to maneuver in orbit work .
According to experts, these thrusters are necessary because the observer will not be in the same orbit as other satellites. In fact, when James Webb reaches orbit, it will begin a journey of a million and a half kilometers, to reach its final orbit beyond the Moon , at a point called ‘Lagrange L2’.
NASA technicians will have to work hard to make this launch a success. According to the US agency, the deployment process alone has approximately 350 processes and, for the mission not to be a failure, nothing must fail.
