NASA James Webb Space Telescope About To Arrive Lagrange Point L2; What To Expect Next?

On Monday, the NASA James Webb Space Telescope will arrive at its new home, L2, or the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, over 1 million miles distant.

According to Digital Trends, these spots are where the Sun's and Earth's gravitational fields interact, allowing a tiny body like a spaceship to stay in place while it travels with them. L1 through L5 are the five Lagrange points, each distinct position relative to the Sun and the Earth. However, not all of them are appropriate for use as orbits.

Our mirror segment deployments are complete! 🎉

Using motors, each segment was moved out about half the length of a paper clip to clear the mirrors from their launch restraints and give each segment enough space for mirror alignment. https://t.co/XWbVLQuch1 #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/d121DHldiX
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 19, 2022

While all Lagrange points are gravitational balancing points, Alise Fisher of NASA adds in an update that not all of them are stable. According to Fisher, L1, L2, and L3 are 'meta-stable' places with saddle-shaped gravity gradients, similar to a position in the center of a ridgeline between two slightly higher peaks, the lowest, most stable point between the two.

However, compared to the valleys on either side of the ridge, it remains a high, unstable position. L4 and L5 are both stable, with each position resembling a small dip or bowl atop a long, steep ridge or hill.

More Telescope Adjustments Expected

The segments that make up the James Webb Space Telescope are ready for alignment with fewer than 50,000 kilometers until the spacecraft reaches its L2 orbit. With great care, the crew relocated all 132 actuators on the rear of the primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror 12.5mm away from the telescope assembly.

According to The Register, each segment now has adequate room to modify throughout the future alignment phase since their launch restrictions no longer constrain them.

(Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
KOUROU, FRENCH GUIANA - DECEMBER 25: Launch teams monitor the countdown to the launch of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket carrying NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on December 25, 2021, in the Jupiter Center at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 21.3 foot (6.5 meters) primary mirror. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history, from our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

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In addition, 18 ROC actuators were relocated from their launch positions. The ROC actuators will work together to shape the primary mirror into its original parabolic shape.

After the motors have completed over a million rotations, emphasis may shift to micron and nanometer modifications to correctly align the telescope, which is projected to take three months.

JWST's Deployment to L2 Explained

So, why did NASA dispatch James Webb Space Telescope to orbit Sun-Earth L2? It's because it's the perfect spot for an infrared observatory. The Sun, Earth, and Moon (together with the Moon) are always on the same side of space at Sun-Earth L2, allowing Webb to maintain its telescope optics and equipment shaded at all times. This will enable them to become cold for infrared sensitivity while still having access to approximately half of the sky for studies at any given time.

To see any point in the sky over time, all you have to do is wait a few months for the Sun to go farther around the Earth and disclose more of the sky that was previously "behind" the Sun.

Furthermore, SciTechDaily said Earth is far enough away from Webb at L2 that the roughly room-temperature heat coming from it will not warm him. Webb can easily maintain an orbit at L2 since it is a gravitational equilibrium region. It's worth noting that orbiting around L2 is simpler, easier, and more efficient than dwelling precisely at L2.

Since Webb orbits rather than being directly at L2, the Sun will never be obscured by Earth, which is crucial for Webb's thermal stability and power generation. Webb's orbit around L2 is greater than the Moon's orbit around the Earth! L2 is also useful for staying in touch with the Mission Operations Center on Earth through the Deep Space Network at all times. WMAP, Herschel, and Planck, among other space-based observatories, orbit Sun-Earth L2 for similar reasons.