The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has entered a new phase of its commissioning process as NASA announces that the observatory has completed its mirror alignment and focusing process and is ready to move into the instrument calibration ahead of full science operations later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese remarkable test images from a successfully aligned telescope demonstrate what people across countries and continents can achieve when there is a bold scientific vision to explore the universe,\u201d said Lee Feinberg, Webb optical telescope element manager at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n
To discuss this milestone, NASASpaceflight spoke with Charlie Atkinson, Chief Engineer for Northrop Grumman\u2019s JWST Program, regarding the status of the telescope, its performance so far, and what remains for the prime contractor as the telescope moves toward operational status.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Optical alignment of James Webb Space Telescope<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery step of the way, things have been going either exactly as planned or better than planned, which has just been an incredibly great feeling,\u201d said Atkinson, who\u2019s been with the Webb program for Northrop Grumman since 1998.<\/p>\n
One of those better-than-expected performance points comes from the optical performance of the telescope. As Atkinson explained, \u201cWe\u2019re getting an indication that the actual optical performance of the telescope is actually better than we expected.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n