James Webb sunshield fully deployed

The tennis court-sized sunshield was folded to fit inside the payload area of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket’s nose cone prior to launch on December 25, 2021. The Webb team began remotely deploying the sunshield three days after launch of the NASA mission, which will seek the light from the first galaxies in the early universe and explore our own solar system as well as exoplanets.

In a statement, Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate said: “This is the first time anyone has ever attempted to put a telescope this large into space.

“Webb required not only careful assembly but also careful deployments. The success of its most challenging deployment – the sunshield – is an incredible testament to the human ingenuity and engineering skill that will enable Webb to accomplish its science goals.”

The five-layered sunshield will protect the telescope from the light and heat of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. NASA said each plastic sheet is about as thin as a human hair and coated with reflective metal, providing protection of over SPF one million.