NASA sends the $10 billion James Webb Telescope into space

The James Webb Telescope went into space on an Ariane 5 rocket.
The launch took place from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana, and the launch was broadcast live on NASA’s YouTube channel.

James Webb will be the most powerful astronomical tool in the hands of scientists. It will allow researchers to see the distant past of the universe, the formation of the first galaxies and the light of the first stars.

It is believed that the telescope will succeed Hubble and surpass it in many ways. So, the James Webb main folding mirror has a diameter of 6.5 meters compared to 2.4 in its predecessor. In addition, the new space observatory will operate in the infrared range, which will give it more opportunities to study distant galaxies.

The telescope will be launched into orbit around the L2 Lagrange point, which will take about a month to reach. It will take about another 5 months to adjust the optics and calibrate the scientific instruments, so the first images will be obtained in about six months.