The James Webb is finally in orbit around the Lagrange point 2
(NASA)
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has completed its flight to the second Lagrange point in the Sun-Earth system and entered a working orbit around it.
In the next five months, the observatory will prepare for the first scientific observations, scheduled for this summer.
The flight from the Earth to the second Lagrange point in the Sun-Earth system took the observatory 29 days.
During this time, it managed to deploy all the main elements, including the heat shield and optical system,
It also completed two of the three trajectory correction maneuvers.
On January 24, the James Webb turned on its engines for 297 seconds to make a final course correction and enter a working halo orbit around L2
The position is located one and a half million kilometers from Earth.
Now the telescope will begin a five-month preparation for scientific observations and cool down to operating temperatures.
It will take three months to align the optical system, and another two to calibrate the scientific instruments.
The first images of the telescope will be published only this summer.
It is expected that the fuel to maintain the orbit of the observatory will last at least 10 years.
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