The long awaited launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is finally here! Jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, JWST is scheduled to launch on board one of the reliable Ariane 5 rocket, from Kourou French Guiana, on the Atlantic coast of South America at 7:20 am Eastern on December 25, 2021.
The project began in 1996, and was scheduled to launch in 2007, how ever, major cost overrun, a major redesign in 2005, and a few technical issues along the way have delayed the launch until now.
Named after James E. Webb, a NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968, the JWST is essentially the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s science instruments will allow scientists to better study planets outside our solar system, as well as enabling researchers to study the atmospheres and weather patterns of the planets in our solar system.
Watch the launch live at the links below!
NASASPACEFLIGHT.COM (starts at 5:45am EST: https://youtu.be/5rARTOhbLDg
Everyday Astronaut (starts at 6:45am EST): https://youtu.be/BuyM-JZRCtM
NASA (starts at 6:00am EST): https://youtu.be/7nT7JGZMbtM