The James Webb space telescope has successfully completed a series of tests to simulate the harsh conditions it will experience during launch. Known as environmental tests, they subjected the spacecraft to the noise and the vibrations associated with being blasted into orbit. JWST received 140 decibels of sound and was shaken in ways that will happen naturally during its ascent.
During a previous set of environmental tests in 2018, before the instruments had been secured to the spacecraft, a number of screws and washers came loose and fell off the sunshield cover. This set back the schedule. The spacecraft has been subject to many delays during more than 20 years of development. It is now scheduled to be launched on 31 October 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket supplied by the European Space Agency.
Thousands of people have been involved in building and testing JWST. In total, 258 companies, agencies, and universities have participated, with 142 coming from the US, 104 from 12 European nations and 12 from Canada. The spacecraft will now begin a series of final deployment tests to make sure its mirror and sunshield will unfold is space. Then it will be refolded, sealed in a special container and shipped to the launch site in French Guiana.
