The launch of the much-delayed James Webb Space Telescope lastly paid off in 2022, because the orbiting observatory delivered jaw-dropping footage all year long
Space
14 December 2022
Astronomers started 2022 ready with bated breath for the primary photographs from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It arrived at its orbital parking spot in January, then aligned its mirrors and examined its cameras.
There have been 344 “single-point failures” – components of the launch and deployment of the telescope that might have been catastrophic in the event that they went unsuitable – and never a single one proved to be an issue.
NASA launched the telescope’s first improbable photographs in July, displaying the Carina …