All 5 layers of the awning have been unfolded successfully. This completely protects the telescope.
The team around the James Webb Space Telescope has this Sunshade sails of the spacecraft fully extended and
all 5 layers unfolded. This was announced by NASA and ESA on Tuesday. An important milestone in the preparation for scientific operations has thus been achieved, NASA announced via Twitter.
The sun awning, which approximately the Size of a tennis court ( 21.2 x 14.2 meters) was folded before launch to fit within the rocket’s payload compartment. Remote deployment of the sun visor began three days after take-off. An “arm” was extended on both sides of the telescope, which “opened” the two sides of the sunshade sail. This gave it a diamond shape.
After days of work, on January 1st the team decided to take a break before completing the final important steps. These have now – after the short break – been successfully completed.
This is how well the 5 layer setup protects
The 5 individual layers of the sun protection sail were successfully separated. The telescope is now protected from light and heat from the sun, earth and moon. Each sheet of plastic is approximately as thin as a human hair and with reflective metal which offers protection in the order of more than 1 million sun protection factors. Together, the 5 layers reduce solar radiation from over 200 kilowatts of solar energy to a fraction of a watt .
This is how well the 5 layer setup protects
The 5 individual layers of the sun protection sail were successfully separated. The telescope is now protected from light and heat from the sun, earth and moon. Each sheet of plastic is approximately as thin as a human hair and with reflective metal which offers protection in the order of more than 1 million sun protection factors. Together, the 5 layers reduce solar radiation from over 200 kilowatts of solar energy to a fraction of a watt .