Katerina Swanson
The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's $10 billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, was launched on 25 December 2021. It has been designed to study the early universe and has several key goals, including searching for light from the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. The telescope's instruments will be able to perform infrared astronomy, allowing it to observe dimmer, cooler objects. In addition to its scientific objectives, the telescope has also captured stunning images of the Cat's Paw Nebula and a titanic collision of galaxy clusters. One of the key questions surrounding the telescope is how much fuel it has on board and for how long it can operate.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Fuel type | Hydrazine fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide oxidizer |
| Fuel volume | 240 liters |
| Fuel life | 20 years |
| Fuel saving factors | Precise insertion by Ariane 5, two correction burns |
| Fuel usage | 2-4 m/s annually for station keeping |
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What You'll Learn
The James Webb Space Telescope has enough fuel for 20 years
The James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched on Christmas Day 2021, has enough fuel for 20 years. The telescope was propelled into space from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, by the Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket. The precision of the launch meant that less fuel was needed for course correction than originally anticipated, resulting in a significant increase in the telescope's expected lifespan.
The James Webb Space Telescope was designed to carry enough fuel for ten years. The telescope uses hydrazine fuel (159 liters or 42 US gallons at launch) and dinitrogen tetroxide as an oxidizer (79.5 liters or 21 US gallons at launch). The fuel is used for course corrections and maintaining the correct position and orientation in space, known as "station-keeping" and "momentum management."
The additional fuel savings were achieved through the precise insertion by Ariane 5 and the two correction burns. Mike Menzel, the Lead Mission Systems Engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope, confirmed that these factors resulted in enough fuel for the telescope's maximum design life of 20 years. This estimate is supported by calculations showing that the telescope has approximately 120 m/s of fuel remaining after the initial burns, which corresponds to 20 years of operation at a rate of 6 m/s per year.
The extended fuel lifespan has significant implications for the telescope's mission. Originally, the JWST was planned to complete its mission after five to ten years. With the additional fuel, the telescope will be able to explore space and send back information for much longer than initially expected. This will provide scientists with an extended opportunity to study the early universe, search for light from the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang, and gather information on abnormal celestial objects such as star KIC 8462852.
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Original estimates predicted 10 years' worth of fuel
The James Webb Space Telescope, launched on 25 December 2021, is a $10 billion observatory with four key goals. One of its primary goals is to search for light from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe after the Big Bang. The telescope is designed to carry out observations in the near-infrared light spectrum, which is more effective than the visible light spectrum for accomplishing these goals.
Original estimates predicted that the telescope would have about 10 years' worth of fuel. The telescope was fuelled with 240 liters of hydrazine fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide oxidizer. This fuel was intended to be used to make course corrections during its journey to the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 2 (L2), which is about 930,000 miles from Earth.
However, due to the precise launch by Arianespace Ariane 5, the telescope needed to spend less time and fuel on its first two correction maneuvers. This has resulted in the telescope having much more fuel than originally estimated. NASA has stated that the telescope now has enough propellant for ""significantly more" than 10 years, with some estimates placing this figure at 20 years.
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The telescope was fuelled with 240 litres of hydrazine fuel
The James Webb Space Telescope, a $10 billion observatory, was fuelled with 240 litres of hydrazine fuel. This fuel is used to make course corrections during its journey to the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 2 (L2), which is about 930,000 miles from Earth. The telescope was designed to carry enough fuel for ten years, but the precision of the Ariane 5 launch and the first mid-course correction meant that less fuel was needed to correct Webb's trajectory toward its final orbit. This has resulted in the telescope having much more than the baseline estimate of propellant.
The telescope's initial launch precisely targeted the observatory's desired trajectory, meaning the spacecraft needed to spend less time and fuel on its first two correction maneuvers. This, along with the accuracy and effectiveness of implementing the mid-course corrections, has resulted in a significant increase in the expected lifespan of the telescope. The telescope now has enough fuel to last for 20 years, which is double the original estimate.
The James Webb Space Telescope has eight smaller thrusters used for attitude control, or the correct pointing of the spacecraft. These engines use hydrazine fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as an oxidizer. The telescope will need to conduct occasional small thruster burns for "station keeping" and "momentum management" to retain its proper location and orientation in space. The propellant remaining after the third burn will be used for these purposes.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and is designed to perform infrared astronomy. It will be able to observe many more and much older stars and galaxies than its predecessor. It will also be able to observe in the infrared spectrum, which is key to achieving its goals and observing older objects.
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The Ariane 5 launch exceeded requirements, saving fuel
The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in December 2021, is a $10 billion observatory designed to study the early universe. The telescope was launched by Ariane 5, a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA).
The telescope was designed to carry enough fuel for ten years, but the precision of the Ariane 5 launch and the first mid-course correction meant that less propellant was needed to correct the telescope's trajectory toward its final orbit. As a result, the observatory is expected to maintain its orbit for "significantly more" than ten years.
The Ariane 5 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope is particularly notable given that the Ariane 5's first test flight in 1996 failed due to a software bug. The bug was caused by a data conversion error, which resulted in the rocket self-destructing 37 seconds after launch. However, the Ariane 5 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope was a success, and the telescope is now expected to have a prolonged lifespan thanks to the fuel savings achieved during the launch.
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The telescope will not be serviced in space
The James Webb Space Telescope is not intended to be serviced in space. A crewed mission to repair or upgrade the observatory, as was done for the Hubble Telescope, would not be possible. According to NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen, despite best efforts, an uncrewed remote mission was found to be beyond the available technology at the time Webb was designed.
The telescope was designed to carry enough fuel for 10 years, but the precision of the Ariane 5 launch and the first mid-course correction were credited with saving enough onboard fuel, so that the observatory should be able to maintain its orbit for "significantly more" than 10 years. Mike Menzel, Lead Mission Systems Engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope, has stated that the telescope has enough fuel for its maximum design life of 20 years. This is due to the precise insertion by Ariane 5 and the two correction burns.
The telescope will need to conduct occasional small thruster burns for ""station keeping" and "momentum management" to retain its proper location and orientation in space. That is what the propellant remaining after the third burn will be used for. Webb will have more fuel left in its tank than NASA had dared to hope. The initial launch precisely targeted the observatory's desired trajectory, meaning the spacecraft needed to spend less time and fuel on its first two correction maneuvers.
While it is possible that the concept of 'maintenance satellites' that could service, refuel, or course-correct other satellites could be developed in the future, it is hard to guess how long something in an early phase will take to complete.
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Frequently asked questions
The James Webb Space Telescope was designed to carry enough fuel for 10 years, but due to the precision of the Ariane 5 launch and the first mid-course correction, it now has enough fuel to last for 20 years.
The James Webb Space Telescope uses hydrazine fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as an oxidizer.
The three MCC course correction burns totaled 24.4 m/s of fuel in 79.5 minutes.
A crewed mission to repair or upgrade the observatory is not possible, and according to NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen, an uncrewed remote mission was found to be beyond the available technology at the time Webb was designed.
