NASA Webb TelescopeVerified account

This is our Super Bowl, World Cup - you pick the analogy. In the 29 days after launch, the James Webb Space Telescope must unfold, like origami, over the course of hundreds of steps in order to #UnfoldTheUniverse. Let’s break it down: https://go.nasa.gov/3wmgFTr pic.twitter.com/NfkJvjVSap

After 206 seconds of flight, at an altitude of about 75 miles above the atmosphere, the two halves of the @ESA @Arianespace rocket fairing that shields the observatory during ascent are separated.pic.twitter.com/1gepqkOO4c

Note: Many of Webb’s deployments can be paused, slowed, or reversed to circumvent unforeseen issues. Webb has 300+ single points of failure (SPFs), but not all are high-risk. Webb is special for its # of deployment-specific SPFs, but many satellites have a large # of SPFs.pic.twitter.com/bnD35TNa4O

Webb’s first deployment, its solar array, occurs about a half hour after launch. It will stop the drain on Webb's internal battery & supply ~2 kilowatts of power to drive the spacecraft’s electrical systems. Webb’s antennas are then deployed to enable high speed communication.pic.twitter.com/LpmxJh8edN

At 12 and a half hours after launch, Webb will fire its thrusters, performing the first of several critical course corrections that send the observatory towards its final destination in orbit. The observatory will pass the Moon nearly two and a half days after launch.pic.twitter.com/mR2Q3ChEBu

The first of Webb's major deployments is the extension of its sunshield frame, known as a unitized pallet structure (UPS). These pallets fold down nearly three days after launch, opening the observatory up to continue expanding.pic.twitter.com/IgcVGE3rgB

Four days after launch, a deployable tower will extend to separate the telescope's upper half — its mirrors and instruments — from its spacecraft bus. This separation effectively isolates the telescope from vibrations and conducted heat coming from the spacecraft bus.pic.twitter.com/c3IZDY4Yh4

Sunshield membrane deployments begin about 5 days after launch. A critical juncture will occur when all 107 sunshield release mechanisms, or special pins that keep the five sunshield layers locked into place, fire on cue and pull themselves out to free the membranes.pic.twitter.com/Vw5TnppSiY