HIGHLIGHTS

The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope was originally scheduled for December 24.

The James Webb Space Telescope will be a huge success. Hubble

Hubble has been operational for almost three decades.

WHY IN NEWS

The flight of NASA's James Webb Space Observatory, which would be the Hubble's replacement, has been postponed. The launch will take place on Christmas Day, December 25, a day later than originally planned, from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, where strong winds are a big concern. On Saturday, an Ariane 5 rocket will launch, carrying the succeeding satellite station. The $10 billion (approximately Rs. 75,330 crore) James Webb Space Telescope is the world's biggest and will aid astronomers in making ground-breaking discoveries. It was created to see further into the cosmos than the Hubble Space Telescope and discover events that occurred over 13.5 billion years ago. The Hubble Orbit Telescope, now the most powerful telescope in space, has provided scientists with invaluable information for the past 30 years, but it is ageing and a replacement is needed. As a result, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), which were also involved in the Hubble project, agreed to create an even larger and more powerful telescope. The main distinction between James Webb and Hubble is that it can see infrared. Scientists want to utilise James Webb's improved capabilities to look for evidence of life in the atmospheres of other planets. In a blog post this week, NASA stated that the launch date will be December 25. It said that a 32-minute launch window will open at 7:20 a.m. EST (5:50 p.m. IST). According to a BBC storey, mission controllers are considering high-level winds blowing in the wrong direction to prevent debris from landing on land if the launch fails. The Ariane rocket's ascent is expected to take 27 minutes.

James Webb will be launched into orbit 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, and the mission should take a month. 'This is a remarkable mission... It will help us better comprehend our Universe and our role within it 'NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated. 

After a month of no astronomical viewing, the Hubble Space Telescope has been repaired

Following a difficult, remote repair procedure by NASA, the Hubble Space Telescope could be back in action shortly. In mid-June, the orbiting observatory turned black, and all astronomical viewing was discontinued. The problem was previously thought to be caused by a computer from the 1980s. After the backup payload computer failed, flight controllers at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland relied on the science instruments' larger and more comprehensive command and data unit, which was installed by spacewalking astronauts in 2009. Engineers were able to successfully swap to backup equipment on Thursday, and the critical payload computer was activated. If everything goes well, NASA said Friday that science observations should begin soon. After part of the previous system collapsed in 2008, a similar upgrade was made.

'Congratulations to the group!' Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's scientific mission leader, sent out a tweet.  Hubble, which was launched in 1990, has made over 1.5 million observations of the cosmos. During the space shuttle programme, NASA sent five repair trips to the telescope. In 2009, the last tuneup was performed. By the end of the year, NASA aims to deploy Hubble's replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope.