- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to replace the Hubble telescope.
- The telescope has been a 25-year project.
- Thousands of scientists, technicians and engineers from 14 countries have spent 40 million hours building the telescope.
- The mirror extends 21 feet and 4 inches and includes 18 hexagonal gold-coated segments, each 4.3 feet (1.32 meters) in diameter.
- JWST launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana 7:20 AM E.T. in the Ariane 5 rocket.
- The observatory will travel for one month to reach an orbit 1 million miles away from Earth.
- Preparations for collecting data will take over 6 months.
- JWST will begin to collect data and its first images in late 2022.
After numerous delays, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has successfully been launched into space aboard the Ariane 5 rocket. Launch occurred from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.