The space telescope is destined to orbit a point in space known as Earth-sun Lagrange point 2 or L2, which is deemed to be balance between earth and sun. It will orbit the sun as opposed to Hubble telescope that orbits the earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope has four key goals:
- to search for light from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the Universe after the Big Bang
- to study the formation and evolution of galaxies
- to understand the formation of stars and planetary systems
- to study planetary systems and the origins of life.
The costs of launching James Webb is estimated to be around $10 Billion and counting. On the 27th December 2021, The space telescope unfolded what scientists call a gimbaled antenna assembly that carries the high-rate data dish responsible for beaming Webb’s observations of the early universe back to Earth.
Wonders and Thoughts 