Webb telescope fully deploys sunshield in mission milestone

The James Webb Space Telescope can now stay cool, having successfully deployed its giant sunshield that gives it SPF of about one million. — AFP PHOTO/NASA/Chris Gunn

The James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed its tennis-court sized sunshield Tuesday, a critical milestone for the success of its mission to study every phase of cosmic history, NASA said.

"All five layers of the sunshield are fully tensioned," said an announcer at the observatory's control centre in Baltimore, where team members cheered, a live feed showed.