One of the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope collided with a tiny fragment of an asteroid.
This was reported by the BBC.
The incident occurred between May 23 and 25. The analysis shows that the mirror segment C3 — one of the 18 tiles that make up the main reflector of the telescope — was damaged. The microparticle of the asteroid left a "dent" in the element.
It is noted that the collision had a significant impact on the data transmission of the observatory, but did not disable the device.
"We always knew that Webb would have to weather the space environment, which includes harsh ultraviolet light and charged particles from the Sun, cosmic rays from exotic sources in the galaxy, and occasional strikes by micrometeoroids within our Solar System. We designed and built Webb with performance margin - optical, thermal, electrical, mechanical - to ensure it can perform its ambitious science mission even after many years in space," said Paul Geithner, technical deputy project manager at Nasaʼs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
- On December 25, 2021, NASA launched the $ 10 billion James Webb Telescope to replace the Hubble Space Telescope. He was sent to a distance of 1.5 million kilometers from Earth — to point L2. Scientists have high hopes for the Webb — it will help to look much deeper into the universe and study galaxies and planets in more detail.
- On December 29, NASA announced that the telescope will work longer than expected. Trajectory analysis showed that its fuel supply will be enough for more than 10 years of operation.
- On February 11, the James Webb Space Telescope sent the first photo he took.