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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates

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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in its deployed form as seen in an artist's illustration.
(Image: © NASA)

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the agency's successor to the famous Hubble telescope, launched on Dec. 25, 2021 on a mission to study the earliest stars and peer back farther into the universe's past than ever before.

Webb is currently at its observing spot, Lagrange point 2 (L2), nearly 1 million miles (1.6 million km). It is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever launched.

Space.com is sharing live updates about the new space observatory's mission here. 

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Webb is in the homestretch of commissioning

NASA offered an update on the commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope on Monday (May 9), which highlighted a test image taken by its Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI. The agency compared the new image, showing part of the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, with one taken by NASA's previous infrared observatory, the retired Spitzer Space Telescope. Read more>

NASA will update on Webb's final prep stages

The James Webb Space Telescope is protected from the sun's and Earth's heat by a giant kite-shaped shield. (Image credit: Kevin Gill)

The James Webb Space Telescope is entering its final commissioning phase before beginning science operations this summer. The last phase will focus on testing the instruments aboard the observatory and is expected to take about two months.

NASA personnel will update the public about the telescope's progress so far and what remains to be done during a news conference on Monday (May 9) at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), which you can watch here on Space.com courtesy of the agency or directly at the agency's website.

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Webb is fully aligned and the views are stunning!

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope can now capture sharp images of celestial objects with multiple instruments, the agency announced April 28, 2022. (Image credit: NASA/STScI)

The three-month process of aligning the James Webb Space Telescope's instruments and mirrors is finally complete, according to a NASA statement released today (April 28). The agency shared sample images that, while small, showcase the sharp focus of the instrument and offer a tantalizing look at what's to come. Read more>