SPACE NEWS USA

James Webb Space Telescope successfully unfurls crucial sunshield


An illustration depicts the James Webb Space Telescope floating in space after launch and deployment of sun shield and reflective dish. Image courtesy of NASA

Jan. 1 (UPI) -- A massive sunshield aboard the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope has been successfully unfurled in a crucial step for its operations, NASA says.

The telescope's second, or starboard, sunshield mid-boom was extended late Friday as the observatory "passed another critical deployment milestone," the space agency announced.

The deployment capped a two-day operation in which all 107 the telescope's crucial membrane release devices were successfully released, thus allowing the sunshield to fully unfurl into its kite-shaped form in space.



Driven by their motors, the mid-booms slowly extended horizontally from the spacecraft, pulling the folded membranes of the sunshield along to their full 47-foot width. The mid-boom arms are now locked in their final position.

"The mid-booms are the sunshield's workhorse and do the heavy lifting to unfold and pull the membranes into that now-iconic shape," Webb observatory manager Keith Parrish said in a statement.

But, he cautioned, "we still have a long way to go with this whole deployment process," as engineers in the coming days will separate and then individually tighten each of the five sunshield layers to reach their final, taut shape.

Webb is just nine days into a 29-day deployment process in which the telescope will unfold and unfurl at a glacial pace to ensure success.

It's all part of the sophisticated technology that will make Webb the largest and most powerful telescope in history. It will use super-cooled infrared instruments to observe exoplanets, black holes, and galaxies that formed 13.5 billion years ago, the earliest ever seen.

But those instruments must be so cold -- minus-370 degrees F -- that sunlight or even Webb's own thrusters could cause interference. So the sun shield will wall off the instruments from those heat sources.

The membrane layers are designed with space in between them to allow heat to radiate out, with the largest and flattest layer being closest to the sun.

An illustration depicts James Webb Space Telescope after the main dish, still folded, is extended from the spacecraft base below. Image courtesy of NASA

Biden administration extends ISS operations through 2030

This mosaic depicts the International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly-around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module's space-facing port on Nov. 8. Photo courtesy NASA | License Photo

Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The Biden administration has extended operations on theInternational Space Station through 2030 to "enable a seamless transition" to commercial space stations, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Friday.

Nelson said in a statement that NASA will continue working with the European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Russia's StateSpace Corporation Roscosmos "to enable continuation of the groundbreaking research being conducted."

2 / 3Spacewalkers Shane Kimbrough of NASA (left) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency installed new roll-out solar arrays on the International Space Station's P-6 truss structure in June. Photo courtesy NASA | License Photo

"The United States' continued participation on the ISS will enhance innovation and competitiveness, as well as advance the research and technology necessary to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon under NASA's Artemis program and pave the way for sending the first humans to Mars," Nelson said.

Earlier this month, NASA awarded $415 million to three companies -- Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, aerospace company Nanoracks, and aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman -- for the development of commercial destinations in space.

Nelson said in a statement at the time that the awards would stimulate the development of independent space stations for use by government and private-sector customers.

3 / 3The SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship is pictured on June 5 approaching the International Space Station. Photo courtesy NASA | License Photo

"With commercial companies now providing transportation to low-Earth orbit in place, we are partnering with U.S. companies to develop the space destinations where people can visit, live, and work, enabling NASA to continue forging a path in space for the benefit of humanity," Nelson said at the time.

In April, NASA awarded $2.89 billion to SpaceX to continue the development of the first commercial human lander, called HLS Starship, which will take astronauts to the Moon before some day taking humans to Mars.

Earlier this month, a billionaire Japanese space tourist and two other people returned to Earth after spending nearly two weeks at the International Space Station.

Yusaku Maezawa returned to Earth in Kazakhstan after becoming the first paying tourist to visit the International Space Station since 2009.