The James Webb Space Telescope returns to scientific operations after a malfunction
The newest and most powerful space telescope out there is back up and running after an error blocked it for several days of scientific observations.
Mission staff behind the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb or JWST) spent about two weeks battling a bug that first appeared on Dec. 7, according to a NASA statement (opens in a new tab). According to NASA officials, the error never threatened the telescope and normal operations resumed on Tuesday (Dec. 20).
“The observatory and instruments are all in good health and were not in any danger while the error management system on board Webb was working as expected to keep the hardware safe,” NASA officials wrote.
Related: The best images of all time from the James Webb Space Telescope (gallery)
JWST will mark a full year in space on Sunday (December 25). It began science operations in July. This year, the observatory has faced two more issues: In May, a impact of micrometeoroids caused slightly more damage than environmental models had predicted, and in August the observatory’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) experienced a problem with one of its four observation modes.
However, the recent issue appears to be the first to pause all scientific operations at the observatory.
According to NASA, the problem began on December 7, when JWST’s attitude control system, which keeps the observatory shielded from the sun and able to reach land, experienced a software crash. The failure sent the telescope into safe mode, a state in which a spacecraft shuts down non-essential systems and docks in a stable configuration while it waits for engineers to investigate a problem.
The observatory went into safe mode and recovered from it several times in the following days, the NASA statement implies.
“This event caused several pauses in science operations totaling a few days during this time period,” officials wrote. “Science proceeded differently during that time.” (Observations that JWST missed will be rescheduled whenever possible, officials noted.)
The problem is now under control, the statement said, after mission staff “adjusted the command system.” Normal operations resumed on Tuesday (December 20), just in time for the telescope to celebrate its first birthday in space.
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