NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a revolutionary space telescope from NASA, has lifted off successfully to begin its long and difficult flight to orbit to replace the Hubble telescope. This is after years of delay and planning.
As they watched the launch of the European Spaceport in French Guiana, nervous engineers and scientists from all over the globe celebrated.
A successful Christmas Day take off for the $10 billion telescope had been dubbed a ‘Christmas miracle’ after the project suffered a series of delays in the South American country’s rainy season.
But at 7.20am the world’s most powerful space telescope, equipped with an Ariane 5 rocket, took off in magnificent form before blasting skywards over the Atlantic Ocean.
NASA spokeswoman said Webb’s liftoff would herald a new age in astronomy.
Stéphane Israël, the CEO of Arianespace which provided the Ariane rocket, said: ‘We launch for humanity this morning from the Guiana Space Center. Webb has been a big deal. We all know the truth.
The 14,000-pound instrument, which was built in France, will be lifted from the rocket it was launched after 26 minutes of space travel.
After that, the Webb telescope will need to travel approximately one month from Earth to get to its destination in solar space. This is about four times faster than the moon.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was launched successfully by NASA after many years of delay and planning.
At 7.20am, the most powerful satellite in the world, fitted with Ariane 5 rockets, launched spectacularly over the Atlantic Ocean.
The 14,000-pound instrument, which weighs in at 14,000 lbs. will eventually be lifted from the rocket it was built in France after 26 minutes of space travel. Imaged: NASA’s live streaming shows Webb as it moves along its journey into space.
Webb is intended to replace its 30-year-old counterpart Hubble, as it is about 100 times more sensitive and is expected to profoundly transform scientists’ understanding of the universe and our place in it.
As the telescope and planet circle the sun together, the new telescope will be able to keep its orbital path in perfect alignment with Earth.
It is an international partnership led by NASA, in collaboration with Canadian and European satellite agencies.
The launch delay of months had caused it to be delayed for several months. This was after years of construction delays. Its first scheduled launch date is set for 2007.
After being rescheduled last Christmas Eve, it was finally moved to December 25, where the launch window would be between 07.20 ET (12.20 GMT), and 07.52 ET (12.52 GMT).
It was then loaded onto an Ariane 5 rocket fairing and transported to the French Guiana European Space Agency launch site.
Live coverage of the launch was provided on NASA’s TV channel and website kicking off at 06:00 ET (11:00 GMT).
Officials have confirmed that Ariane 5 is in excellent condition and that there was no problem with the launch due to the rainy season beginning in French Guiana.
The massive Jame Webb Space Telescope, which will be the next generation of the Jame Webb Space Telescope, has finally arrived at the launch pad and is ready for its mission to outer space.
Months of delay in launch have caused the telescope to lose its prime launch date of 2007 after years of construction delays.
James Web Telescope was also called JWST, or Webb. Its construction began in 1996. NASA’s budget for completion of the project was only $500 million.
Although the agency had been scheduled to launch it in 2007, cost overruns, technical problems and other issues caused a significant redesign that resulted in its first delay.
The telescope’s construction was complete in 2016. Testing could begin in 2016 but the sunshield broke during a practice run two years later, leading to another delay.
This was followed by the coronavirus epidemic that struck in 2020, which caused more delays.
James Webb arrived in French Guiana on October 20, 2021 after a 16-day voyage aboard the MN Colibri. He was then removed from his transport container before launch preparations.
NASA says that the first fuelling operation began November 25, and took around 10 days.
After the Ariane 5 rocket had been launched on Saturday December 11, the Guiana Space Center placed the space telescope onto the Ariane 5 rocket.
Mother Nature has other plans, and this mission will be completed a day later.
NASA announced that James Webb will begin the’most complex series of deployments’ ever performed in space, approximately 28 minutes following its final blast-off.
The launch window for the observatory’s launch is between 07.20 ET (12.20 GMT), and 07.52 ET (12.52 GMT).
It was then loaded onto an Ariane 5 rocket fairing and transported to launch site at French Guiana’s European Space Agency Facility.
Because it is so big, NASA says that the origami-style folding was done to make the rocket fit. The rocket then unfurls ‘like Transformer’ into space.
Mark McCaughrean is an ESA Webb Interdisciplinarian Scientist who has waited more than twenty years to get data from Webb.
MailOnline asked him if he was nervous about it going up, since it had been successfully tested, simulated, and ready to launch. And he believed in the engineers.
He stated that launch is always a concern because of the fact that you have to sit on expensive pieces of equipment for an unguided explosion. However, it is what they do and Ariane 5 was a reliable workhorse.
Officials said that Ariane 5 was in great shape. The only issue was with the French Guiana rainy season.
It’s so big that NASA folded it origami-style to make room in the rocket. Then, NASA said, the rocket unfolded ‘like Transformers in space’, spreading out its mirrors in order to capture light from far in the history.
Webb, who is years behind in leaving Earth to go to space, will be looking back at the very beginning of time to see when stars and galaxies formed.
Webb is primarily an infrared telescope. It will be more visible than Hubble, and it will operate in a solar orbit. From near Kourou, French Guiana it will launch aboard an Ariane 5 European Space Agency rocket.
Even if everything goes according to plan, many astronomers won’t be able to see the “scary” part until weeks later when the observatory is in its solar orbit.
Webb will travel to an orbit about one million miles away from Earth and undergo six months of commissioning in space – including unfolding its mirrors and sunshield, cooling down, aligning and calibrating.
NASA states that “astronomers around the world will be then able to perform scientific observations to expand our understanding of this universe.”
Named after James E. Webb (American government official, who served as NASA administrator from 1961 through 1968) and was an integral part of the Apollo program.
NASA’s decision to name the device after him was a controversial one – he has been accused of homophobia since his passing in 1992 due to his role in the 1963 firing of a gay NASA employee.
NASA said that the James Webb Telescope would not be renamed before its December launch, in spite of a petition opposing it.
Webb was 85 years old when he died in 1992. Webb took over from John F. Kennedy’s request in 1961.
He was the head of the agency from 1968 to 1968, and was instrumental to the Apollo programmes that saw Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon in 1969, one year after his departure.
Webb, a primary infrared telescope will provide a greater view of the Earth than Hubble. Webb can also operate in a more distant solar orbit.
McCaughrean claimed that JWST decreases the ceiling for objects. It does this because it is cold, down to -230 Celsius. That telescope doesn’t emit too much infrared so astronomers aren’t forced to “fight” against the Earth’s infrared.
Webb’s pictures will be sharper than Hubble but many times better.
Hubble can be found at a distance of 340 miles from the Earth surface. Webb, however, will be more than a million miles away.
The James Web Telescope (also known as JWST and Webb) was first started in 1996. NASA only had a 500 million dollar budget at that time to finish it.
The telescope will observe the Universe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared – at wavelengths longer than visible light. The telescope is outfitted with state-of the-art cameras and spectrographs as well as coronagraphs.
Ohio State University researchers claim that James Webb will find signs of alien existence on distant planets within five years after it comes online.
Caprice Phillips is a graduate student who calculated it can detect ammonia made by living creatures on gas dwarf planets within a matter of orbits.
James Webb Space Telescope is described as “a time machine” that can help uncover the mysteries of the universe. It emits light from distant objects further back in space and could be used to unravel these secrets.
It will allow you to see back the first galaxies formed in the beginning universe over 13.5 billion years ago.
Ohio State University’s research suggests that James Webb would have signs of alien existence on distant planets within five year of its online launch
After its final launch, James Webb will depart from the launch vehicle about 28 minutes later and start ‘the most complex series of deployments ever attempted within a single mission to space’
The telescope will be able to observe stars and exoplanets as well as the planets and moons in our solar system.
The potential of the Webb telescope has inspired thousands of astronomers all over the globe.
Webb is being used by one group of scientists to observe the ‘cosmic dawn’, the moment when the stars of the universe first saw light billions of year ago.
James Webb was designed for five years, but NASA expects it to be around for at least ten years. This is similar to Hubble’s longevity of decades. However, unlike Hubble, it can not easily be repaired.
The telescope will observe the Universe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared – at wavelengths longer than visible light. It is equipped with a range of high-tech cameras, spectrographs, and coronagraphs to do this.
ESA has procured the Ariane 5 Launcher and services. ESA contributes the NIRSpec Instrument and a part of the MIRI instrument.
It will take test images, not of any specific object. The camera could even copy Hubble to capture an image of Jupiter and make its first observations.
Exoplanets will receive up to 30% of the initial year’s observations. This is to examine their size, orbit and atmosphere in search for alien life.