Professor Mark Thomson, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Executive Chair, said:
“This is a remarkable achievement for the hardworking scientists and engineers who have worked tirelessly to get to this point. MIRI is an incredible feat of engineering. Watching MIRI come to life is inspiring, and is a testament to the talent of the UK teams involved.”
MIRI receives light
After confirming that the instrument systems were functional at this extremely cold temperature the MIRI cover was opened and the first data obtained.
These first MIRI observations were the first step to incorporating MIRI into the multi-instrument multi-field alignment (MIMF) process. MIRI has no internal adjustments for focus or alignment and relies on the incredible accuracy of the Webb optical alignment. Although it is an engineering image for the telescope alignment, these first measurements have also provided the MIRI team with some preliminary information about the flight instrument.
The painstaking and long MIMF telescope alignment process was supported by scientists and engineers from STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) and RAL Space, along with our team of international MIRI partners.
Tim Grundy, Instrument Scientist and RAL Space MIRI project lead said:
“I’m delighted to see MIRI finally starting to operate in space. It has been a long journey to reach this point, and this achievement has only been possible thanks to the dedication and hard work of team members past and present. The first images are already amazing, but they represent only a small sample of what MIRI will be capable of during its lifetime.”
This is a key milestone in Webb’s science mission as it means that all the instruments, including MIRI, are now able to take super sharp, sensitive astronomical images and spectra.
Professor Gillian Wright, European Principal Investigator for MIRI and Director of UK ATC in Edinburgh, said:
“Another fantastic moment in MIRI’s amazing journey. The team is delighted that the coolest instrument on Webb is now also aligned to Webb’s mirrors and functioning.
“Using MIRI, we will be able to observe the infrared universe in a way that has never been possible before. There are still several months of detailed testing and calibration to go before we see the first science from MIRI, but this is tremendous news and a real achievement for the entire MIRI team.”
Image: Preparing the MIRI Structural Thermal Model for testing at RAL Space.Credit: STFC RAL Space.
Fantastic voyage
Webb launched on board ESA’s Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on Christmas Day 2021. It then spent a month travelling through space before reaching its new home in orbit one million miles from Earth. The commissioning team have spent the intervening weeks working on aligning the 18 mirror segments and cooling down the scientific instruments before MIMF commenced.
Scientists and engineers from STFC’s UK ATC and RAL Space are actively involved in the complex commissioning process. Working alongside international colleagues at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore monitoring and commanding MIRI and Webb in shifts, 24 hours a day.
Because MIRI can see at longer wavelengths than the other instruments on Webb, it is capable of peering through the dust clouds that surround newly formed stars and planets. By looking at infrared radiation the Webb instrument including MIRI can effectively lookback billions of years in time to study the very beginnings of the universe.
International collaboration
MIRI is one of four scientific instruments on Webb, the largest most powerful telescope ever launched into space.
Webb’s mission to explore the universe is led by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency. MIRI is an international project that was designed, built, and tested by a European Consortium of ten member countries, led by the UK in partnership with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The European contribution is led by Professor Gillian Wright of Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) in Edinburgh.
The MIRI development has been funded by the UK Space Agency and STFC, part of UK Research and Innovation, and ESA.
Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, said:
“MIRI and the other instruments on Webb will revolutionise our understanding of the universe. This is due to the skills, expertise and dedication of scientists and engineers from across the UK, which will put British science at the forefront of the exciting new discoveries set to be made by Webb over the next decade.”
Over the next few months each instrument will undergo final calibration. MIRI's systems will be tested, data will be analysed, and final adjustments will be made before we see the first spectacular images of the cosmos from Webb this summer.
Further information:
NASA blog
