James Webb Telescope up and running: Mirrors aligned, science to begin by July

After spending over three months at its new home, the James Webb Telescope is fully aligned. While the James Webb Team remains quiet on what will be the telescope’s first target, a detailed schedule of the telescope’s missions has been released online. “Upon completing the seventh and final stage of telescope alignment, the team held a set of key decision meetings and unanimously agreed that Webb is ready to move forward into its next and final series of preparations, known as science instrument commissioning,” Nasa said in a blog update. James Webb Telescope locked onto a guide star using its Fine Guidance Sensor. “With the completion of telescope alignment and half a lifetime’s worth of effort, my role on the James Webb Space Telescope mission has come to an end,” said Scott Acton, Webb wavefront sensing and controls scientist.