The procedure will take about three months all told.
The observatory team will spend about 10 days working to move the mirror segments out of their launch alignments, with more precise work continuing beyond that time.
The goal is to get all of Webb's pieces working as a single observatory in space, which will be essential for the telescope'sof telling us more about the early universe and the life history of various objects that are a part of it. NASA estimates that all told, the alignment will take about three months, which should bring this work into mid-April as long as everything runs to schedule. Webb launched on Dec. 25 and may have enough fuel forthanks to the precision of the launch, but that all depends on the mirrors working properly.
"Ground teams have now begun instructing the primary mirror segments and secondary mirror to move from their stowed-for-launch configuration, off of snubbers that kept them snug and safe from rattling from vibration," NASA said."These movements will take at least ten days, after which engineers can begin the three-month process of aligning the segments to perform as a single mirror.
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