Thaddeus Cesari, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has successfully passed another series of critical testing milestones on its march to the launch pad. In recent acoustic and sine vibration tests, technicians and engineers exposed Webb’s spacecraft element to brutal dynamic mechanical environmental conditions to ensure it will endure the rigors of a rocket launch to space. During…

For the first time, the two halves of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — the spacecraft and the telescope — were connected together using temporary ground wiring that enabled them to “speak” to each other like they will in flight. Although it was a significant step forward for the program, this test was an optional…

Technicians and engineers working to ensure the soundness of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope manually lower its folded sunshield layers for easier access and inspection. After being lowered, engineers thoroughly inspect all five layers of the reflective silver-colored sunshield for any issues that may have occurred as a result of acoustic testing. Acoustic testing exposes…

The sound associated with a rocket launch creates extreme vibrations that can adversely affect any satellite or observatory, so engineers put spacecraft through simulations to ensure they will remain operational. In this photo, technicians delicately inspect stowed sunshield membranes of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on the forward side of the spacecraft. Acoustic testing exposes…