--- title: "The James Webb Telescope Just Rolled Out Its First Mirror" description: "In spite of years of repeated delays, the James Webb Space Telescope's progress seems to be chugging along in kind." date: "2022-01-05" modified: "2022-01-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/james-webb-mirror" categories: - "James Webb Space Telescope" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "james webb space telescope" - "JWST" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # The James Webb Telescope Just Rolled Out Its First Mirror ![In spite of years of repeated delays, the James Webb Space Telescope's progress seems to be chugging along in kind.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Mirror World In spite of years of repeated delays, the James Webb Space Telescope seems to be chugging along now that it's finally in space following a [Christmas day launch](). And now, just a day after [successfully deploying]() the telescope's giant five-layer sunshield, NASA is latching the [controversially-named]() telescope's long-armed secondary mirror into place as the project, decades in the making, prepares to start observing the universe from a solar orbit. During a livestream of the event, NASA program manager Bill Ochs called the mirror's deployment "another banner day for the JWST." "We actually have a telescope," [Ochs gushed](). ## Expect Delays This renewed sense of momentum comes after months of touch-and-go for the JWST, the schedule of which repeatedly "slipped" — NASAspeak for delays — due to everything from [technical glitches]() to mysterious "[incidents]()." The JWST's development has cost tens of billions of dollars and been extended through a whopping *five* presidencies since its initial designs were released in the 1990s. But now that the telescope is finally in space, as CBS space reporter William Harwood [noted](), there's only three more major deployments needed to get the telescope all set up. Of course, it still needs to deploy its primary mirrors — so fingers crossed that process goes smoothly as well. It's been a wild ride following the rollercoaster that is the final stages of the JWST. And we, along with other spaceflight stans, are on the edge of our seats to see the first images from this amazing device. **READ MORE:** [*Scientists Incredibly Anxious About Space Telescope Launch*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()