Why will He’s Webb orbit at L2 instead of just sitting static? What will it be orbiting to stay going in a small circle at L2?

Question

Why will He’s Webb orbit at L2 instead of just sitting static? What will it be orbiting to stay going in a small circle at L2?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Spacecraft are constantly prone to noise from varius sources like the Sun pressure or other planet effects. Because of that staying on a static position is nearly impossible and it needs constant propulsion to maintain that. Therefore an orbit around Lagrangian points is much more stable against perturbations and dosen’t require the same amout of propulsion to keep.