NASA has been working on the next model of the Hubble telescope, James Webb, for many years. After multiple delays, it was finally launched on 25 December. As planned, it would orbit the Sun by going to the L2 location 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. So what’s the situation now?
James Webb takes office on January 24!
The James Webb Space Telescope has been traveling through space since its launch event on December 25, 2021. If it’s close, it will encounter the next important step in its mission and perform a positioning operation to place itself in an orbit around the sun. He was told his destination was Monday.
The point at which the positioning will take place will be a place called L2 or the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, about one and a half million kilometers from our planet. These points are regions where the gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth interact so that small objects such as a spacecraft can stay in place as it moves with them.
All of these Lagrangian points, named L1 to L5, at different positions relative to the Sun and Earth, can actually be used for different missions and vehicles. However, it is not suitable for use as an orbiter for precision measuring devices such as the James Webb telescope.
NASA representative Alise Fisher said in a statement on the subject:
While all Lagrangian points are gravitational equilibrium points, not all are completely stable. L1, L2, and L3 are metastable locations with saddle-shaped gravity gradients, which is the low, fixed point between two peaks, i.e. a point in the middle of a ridge line between two slightly higher peaks.
It is still a high and unstable point relative to the valleys on either side of the ridge. L4 and L5 are relatively stable in that each location is like a shallow depression or bowl in the middle of a long, high ridge or hill.
The advantage of using the L2 location is that it allows the observatory to remain in the shadows. Light and heat from the direct sun will cause many problems for precision instruments at Webb. So the best solution would be to keep them in the shade.
By positioning Webb in L2 orbit, one side is always facing the Sun with a giant Sun shield to protect it, and the other side is facing the coolness of space. Also, since the observatory moves around the sun, it can clearly view every part of the sky while traveling.
The L2’s gravitational characteristics also make it easier for the ship to maintain its trajectory. Also, NASA has some advantages for communication using the Deep Space Network. Other observatories use the L2 orbiter for the same reasons, including NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory, and the Planck satellite.
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