Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope has been hit by a piece of space rock.

One of the large mirrors that powered the segment was hit by a micrometeoroid that was larger than expected and bigger than engineers were able to test on the ground, the space agency said.

Though assessments are still continuing, the telescope still appears to be operating well enough, but the collision had a “marginally detectable effect in the data”, Nasa said in its announcement.

The object hit one of the pieces of mirror that allow the telescope to work sometime between 23 and 25 May, the space agency said in its announcement.

Read more: Independent