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It was finished years late at a cost far higher than planned, but NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which launched Dec. 25, may usher in a new era in astronomy as it gathers information on the universe’s earliest stages, the formation of stars, and whether planets beyond our solar system may be suitable for life.
The orbiting infrared observatory, designed to be about 100 times more sensitive than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, blasted off on Dec. 25 on an Ariane 5 rocket from a site in French Guiana, on South America’s northeastern coast.
“We’re about to go on this amazing journey of discovery,” said astronomer Klaus Pontoppidan, a Webb project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. “We really mean discovery because Webb has the raw power to reveal the unexpected. We can plan what we think we’re going to see. But at the end of the day we know that nature will surprise us more often than not.”
The telescope, boasting four scientific instruments, is an international collaboration led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies. Northrop Grumman Corp. is the primary contractor. The launch vehicle is part of the European contribution.
It was developed at a cost of $8.8 billion (¥1 trillion), with operational expenses projected to bring its total price tag to about $9.66 billion (¥1.1 trillion). The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the price has nearly doubled since NASA established a cost baseline in 2009 after earlier cost overruns. NASA had hoped to launch it in 2011, but the date was repeatedly delayed. (Reuters)
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This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.