To transport the world’s largest space telescope over thousands of kilometers, NASA utilized a massive specially designed container.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) arrived in French Guiana on October 12 after a lengthy 16-day journey covering 2,400 kilometers, using trucks, barges, and large ocean vessels to navigate through the Panama Canal. JWST will be launched into space from this South American location. NASA shared images from the telescope’s transportation process.
The JWST made its journey after being packed into an “oversized suitcase,” a colossal special container officially named Space Telescope Transporter for Air, Road, and Sea (STTARS). According to NASA, this custom container is designed to withstand any harsh conditions or sudden occurrences that the JWST might encounter along the way. STTARS weighs 76,000 kg and measures 33.5 meters in length. NASA engineers folded the JWST in an origami style to fit it inside the container and prepare it for launch.
A video shared by NASA reveals the process of placing the telescope into the suitcase at Northrop Grumman’s facility in California and transporting it to the dock on September 24. The transport team even checked for potholes along the route to ensure the highly sensitive telescope would not be jolted. A second video shows the complex process of transferring the telescope to the cargo ship along the Panama Canal. The route was planned to avoid rough seas.
Engineers placing the James Webb Telescope into the container.
The JWST is a collaborative project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency, and is scheduled to launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European spaceport on December 18 after several years of delays. However, the system still requires two months of preparation. The JWST is equipped with technology that allows it to look back in time and explore the origins of the universe. If all goes well, JWST will operate concurrently with the aging Hubble Space Telescope.
