The combined pull of the sun and Earth at L2 can hold the telescope firmly in place so it takes little additional rocket thrust to keep Webb from drifting. From its vantage point in space, Webb will follow a special path in constant alignment with EarthДЇrom its vantage point in space, Webb will follow a special path in constant alignment with Earth, as the planet and telescope circle the sun in tandem, enabling uninterrupted radio contact.Д«y comparison, WebbвЂ™s 30-year-old predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, orbits the Earth from 547km away, passing in and out of the planetвЂ™s shadow every 90 minutes.

The thrusters will be activated by mission control engineers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and the ground team will use radio signals to confirm when Webb has been successfully вЂњinsertedвЂќ into orbit, said Eric Smith, NasaвЂ™s programme scientist for Webb. With a final course-correcting manoeuvre by on-board rocket thrusters set for 2pm EDT (9pm SAST), Webb is expected to reach its destination at a position of orbital stability between the Earth and sun known as Lagrange Point Two, or L2, arriving one month after launch. NasaвЂ™s James Webb Space Telescope, designed to give the world an unprecedented glimpse into the earliest stages of the universe, neared its gravitational parking space on Monday in orbit around the sun, almost 1.6 million kilometres from Earth. ArtistвЂ™s conception of the James Webb Space Telescope.

James webb telescope orbit