James Webb Space Telescope's golden mirror in final test [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent
@BBCAmoson Twitter

Published 19 hours ago

The technological marvel that is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is going through final testing before being shipped to the launch site.

The successor to the mighty Hubble is due to leave Earth in October to begin a new era of astronomical discovery.

One of Webb's key objectives will be to catch the glow from the first stars to shine in the Universe.

To do this, it's been given a 6.5m-wide, golden mirror that engineers are now checking one last time.

The segmented reflector has to be folded to fit inside the launch rocket - that's how big it is; and the technicians at aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman want to be sure that it'll have no problems being straightened out again once in space.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57078657