NASA+ has launched “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope”, a documentary that is already shaping up to be the best audiovisual portrait of the greatest astronomical project that has ever existed! This production, available for free on YouTube and on the agency’s new streaming platform, compiles twenty-five years of extreme engineering and discoveries that challenge human imagination…
90 minutes that go through the creation of the observatory and reveal unseen footage, cryogenic tests, and the tension experienced during the historic 2021 launch.
“Cosmic Dawn” becomes the perfect answer to why the James Webb can answer the oldest questions of our universe: since when has the cosmos been here? how were the first galaxies formed? is there life on planets beyond the Solar System?
James Webb, a look into the past.
The James Webb Space Telescope was born as the natural answer to the limitations of Hubble (NASA’s other telescope), and it came to be because we needed a larger mirror and infrared sensors capable of capturing the light in the expansion of the Universe. But making that idea a reality required solving unprecedented challenges: 18 hexagonal beryllium segments coated in gold, a sunshield the size of a tennis court, and more than 300 potential failures that, if triggered, would compromise the mission.
The price of success: 10 billion dollars and 25 years of work
“Cosmic Dawn” documents every budget crisis, every delay, every hurricane that flooded the Goddard laboratories. Far from being a complacent story, the film shows how the team survived congressional scrutiny, internal audits, and a global pandemic. The result: an observatory that operates at -233 °C, protected by a five-layer kapton and aluminum shield, while orbiting at point L2, a million and a half kilometers from Earth.
The most complex deployment sequence in history
Once launched, the Webb faced its most delicate manoeuvre: unfolding mirrors, antennas, and the sunshield in outer space. Every gear had to move without error, since no one could repair it afterward. The documentary recreates the tension during the 29 days of terror, crowned by the perfect fit of the secondary mirror. A wonder if you ask us!
From the first galaxies to distant worlds
The first image shown by this telescope will forever remain in global memory: a swarm of galaxies so distant that their light left when the Universe was just beginning. That photograph, illustrated in “Cosmic Dawn”, is the proof that the Webb fulfils its purpose: to turn the telescope into a time machine.
But not only that, the infrared captured by the Webb has already detected water vapor, carbon dioxide, and even organic molecules on giant planets that orbit other stars.
Webb has also observed accretion disks, stellar remains, and dust clouds where new stars are formed. Every photon recorded expands the catalog of extreme phenomena and helps to verify models of galactic evolution.
NASA+ and the democratization of knowledge
With the launch of NASA+, the agency aims to compete in the saturated platform market, but with a differential value: educational content at no cost and without ads. “Cosmic Dawn” thus becomes the flagship of a strategy that seeks to inspire a new generation of engineers, astronomers, and filmmakers.
Why you should watch “Cosmic Dawn” today
The premiere of “Cosmic Dawn” is not just a simple promotional launch; it is the closest explanation to date of why we are here, an epic journey that redefines the way humanity sees itself in the mirror of the cosmos (poet, poet!). The documentary sums up the essence of exploration: taking risks in search of answers that transcend generations.
If curiosity drives you, set aside an hour and a half to dive into the intimate story of the telescope that is already rewriting textbooks. You will discover that the Universe is older, vaster, and more exciting than we imagined, and that there are still centuries of questions left to answer. What are you waiting for!!