In photos: The Christmas launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

(Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn) But first, James Webb Space Telescope had to leave Earth behind and to do that, it had to get to its launch site.  Here is the cargo ship carrying NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope that arrived in French Guiana on Oct. 12, 2021, after a 16-day sea voyage. The space telescope … Read more

NASA’s Webb telescope takes flight—a Christmas gift to astronomers everywhere | Science

NASA’s most expensive telescope ever is in space at last. The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope, an instrument expected to revolutionize astronomy by gathering light from the atmospheres of alien worlds and the universe’s first galaxies, launched at 7:20 a.m. Eastern Time on a sultry Christmas morning from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. Some … Read more

Christmas launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has sparked some epic holiday memes

It’s launch day for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and after months of delays, the mission is lifting off on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) in what may be the biggest gift astronomy has ever seen. The Webb space telescope is scheduled to lift off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, at 7:20 … Read more

Here’s the space weather forecast for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launch

Strong winds and rain at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, were responsible for the latest delay of the James Webb Space Telescope launch. But there is also another type of weather that might interfere with the grand telescope’s journey to orbit: space weather. So what does the space weather forecast look like for … Read more

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope won’t hit Santa during Christmas launch

NASA is launching a huge observatory into space early Christmas morning (Dec. 25), but you don’t need to worry about it hitting Santa Claus. While St. Nick is wrapping up his annual world tour, presumably somewhere in Alaska, Hawaii or the other Pacific islands in the westernmost time zones, an Ariane 5 rocket will be … Read more

Why NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will orbit nearly 1 million miles from Earth

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be more extreme than its famous predecessor in a variety of ways, including its cosmic locale. The $10 billion Webb is considerably bigger, more complex and more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been studying the heavens from Earth orbit for more than three decades.  And the new … Read more

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launch delayed to Christmas due to weather

NASA’s much-awaited next-generation space telescope is finally ready to launch — just as soon as the weather cooperates. The James Webb Space Telescope, also known as JWST or Webb, has been in the works for decades. During a news conference held on Tuesday (Dec. 21), project officials confirmed that the observatory is ready to launch. … Read more

How to watch NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launch online in several languages on Christmas Eve

NASA is counting down towards a Christmas Eve launch for its biggest space telescope ever and you can watch it all live online. The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to NASA and Europe’s iconic Hubble Space Telescope. The next-generation capabilities of the upcoming observatory, paired with the laundry list of mission delays over … Read more

The Nail-Biting Journey of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is About to Begin

Editor’s Note: This story was published in September. Since then, the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed again. It is now scheduled to lift off no earlier than December 24.  Earlier this month NASA announced that on December 18, after years of delays, the James Webb Space Telescope will finally leave Earth on a … Read more

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission slips to spring 2022 after engine issue

Rocket woes have again delayed NASA’s return to the moon. The agency is now targeting a launch in March or April 2022 for its Artemis 1 flight, an uncrewed mission around the moon and the first flight of its massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA was previously targeting Feb. 12, 2022, for the flight, … Read more