| December 30, 2021 MEDIA ADVISORY M21-171 Update: NASA Plans Coverage of Webb Space Telescope Deployments
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated Dec. 30 to reflect the addition of a media teleconference after Webb’s sunshield is fully deployed, no earlier than Sunday, Jan. 2. Over about the next two weeks, NASA will provide broadcast coverage, media briefings, and other updates on major deployment milestones for the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space science telescope. Broadcasts of milestone events will air live on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Webb, an international partnership with the ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency, launched Dec. 25 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The observatory had been folded up, origami style, to fit inside an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket for launch. Webb is now in the complex and intricate process of unfolding in space, as it travels nearly 1 million miles to its destination, the second Lagrange point or L2. Webb’s deployment sequence is a human-controlled process that provides the team with the flexibility to pause, assess data, and adjust as needed. The timing and order of all milestones may therefore change. NASA will host live broadcast coverage to mark the following milestones, with specific times and dates updated as they approach:
NASA provides regular updates on the Webb telescope blog. The public can also follow Webb’s deployments online via a “Where is Webb?” interactive tracker and a Deployments Explorer. NASA Press Briefings NASA will hold the following media briefings after major deployment milestones:
The agency will determine the timing of these briefings as the deployment milestones approach and will stream the events live on its website. NASA’s media accreditation policy for virtual activities is available online. Social Media Engagement Members of the public can stay connected with the mission and let people know about Webb’s deployments on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #UnfoldTheUniverse. Follow and tag these accounts: Additional Webb Resources:
The Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history – from within the solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, and everything in between. Webb will reveal new and unexpected discoveries and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it. For more information about the Webb mission, visit: -end- | ||
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Press Contacts Alise Fisher / Natasha Pinol Laura Betz |
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