The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is en route to its Lagrange Point 2 destination, over 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. As the most advanced observatory ever launched, it will peer into the universe's earliest stars and galaxies, as well as nearby exoplanets. But when can we expect its first images?
Mission teams have successfully completed the telescope's intricate deployment in space, including the massive sunshield, secondary mirror, and the final segment of its 18-section primary mirror, which captures light from the cosmic depths.
If all proceeds as planned, JWST will reach L2—its permanent home—on January 23, 29 days after launch.
First images won't arrive by late January. The team must activate and test the four science instruments: Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), and Fine Guidance Sensor/Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (FGS-NIRISS).
NASA engineers will then align the 18 primary mirror segments to function as one seamless surface, followed by final calibrations and commissioning.
Full science operations are slated to begin in about six months. Astrophysicist Joel Primack of UC Santa Cruz told Newsweek that initial observations will target distant galaxies formed just 100 million years after the Big Bang.
JWST's infrared capabilities—observing longer wavelengths than Hubble—enable it to see farther back in time, revealing the universe's infancy.
NASA may release "first light" images as early as this summer, with higher-quality data following. Target objects remain under selection amid numerous proposals.
