More From the Webb Telescope

We previewed our uncrewed Artemis I mission to the Moon during a pair of briefings. On August 3, agency officials at our NASA Headquarters and at other NASA centers provided a “big picture overview” of the mission.

“Artemis I shows that we can do big things. Things that unite people, things that benefit humanity. Things like Apollo that inspire the world.” — Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator

That was followed two days later with a deeper dive into the mission’s timeline and operations from our Johnson Space Center. 

The agency is currently targeting no earlier than Monday, August 29, for the launch of the Space Launch System rocket to send the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth. 

Artemis I will take place over the course of about six weeks to check out systems before astronauts fly aboard the spacecraft on Artemis II.

This image of the Cartwheel and its companion galaxies is a composite from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which reveals details that are difficult to see in the individual images alone.

This galaxy formed as the result of a high-speed collision that occurred about 400 million years ago. The Cartwheel is composed of two rings, a bright inner ring, and a colorful outer ring. 

Both rings expand outward from the center of the collision like shockwaves. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team.  READ MORE...