Chapter 1: Introduction to the Alignment Process

NASA has shared a new blog post detailing the latest developments regarding the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The engineering team is diligently working on aligning the telescope, with expectations for completion by May, or possibly even sooner.

Chapter 2: The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)

Currently, the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is in its cooldown phase. MIRI is designed to be the coldest of JWST's four instruments and is uniquely cooled by a cryogenic refrigerator. To prevent ice formation due to rapid cooling, this instrument includes onboard heaters to manage the cooldown process effectively.

The Webb team is carefully adjusting the cryocooler and heaters to ensure a gradual and stable temperature drop. They plan to switch off the heaters soon, aiming to reach an operational temperature below 7 Kelvins (-447°F, -266°C).

This video showcases the alignment milestone achieved by NASA's Webb team, highlighting the successful operation of the optics.

Chapter 3: Progress on Instrument Alignment

Recently, the Webb team has successfully aligned the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The alignment of the other three instruments is estimated to take approximately six weeks, although it could be completed earlier than anticipated.

“The next step is to ensure the telescope is well-aligned to the instruments other than NIRCam, including the guider (the Fine Guidance Sensor, or FGS) and the other three science instruments: the Near-Infrared Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS), Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec), and MIRI. All the near-infrared instruments have already been passively cooled, are approaching their operational temperatures, and are participating in this next alignment stage,” stated Michael McElwain, Webb observatory project scientist, NASA Goddard, along with Charles Bowers, Webb deputy observatory project scientist, NASA Goddard.

This live mission control footage covers the deployment of the primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope, illustrating the precision required for successful operations.

Chapter 4: Next Steps and Future Observations

Once MIRI is operational, each science instrument will conduct measurements to finalize the telescope alignment. Following the completion of this alignment, two months of optical stability tests will be conducted to ensure peak performance of the science instruments before the commencement of Cycle 1 observations.

NASA is set to release the first full-resolution images captured by JWST across its various platforms this summer. Observations from the initial year, designated as Cycle 1, will be made publicly available immediately after they are completed.

For ongoing updates on JWST, click here.