Watch the Launch

Additional Media

James Webb Space Telescope Launch — Official NASA Broadcast

Watch the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope—the most powerful space telescope ever made. This mission is scheduled to lift off at 7:20 a.m. EST (12:20...

Arianespace Flight VA256 - Webb Space Telescope

Arianespace’s fourteenth launch of 2021 with the third Ariane 5 of the year will place Webb Space Telescope in a transfer orbit to Lagrange 2 point.Liftoff i...

James Webb Space Telescope

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), developed in partnership with ESA and CSA, is operated by AURA's Space Telescope Science Institute.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Sun-Earth L2
Mission: Astrophysics

Sun-Earth L2 Ariane Launch Area 3 Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

The James Webb Space Telescope is a space telescope developed by NASA, ESA and CSA to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship astrophysics mission. Its primary mirror, the Optical Telescope Element, is composed of 18 hexagonal mirror segments which combine to create a 6.5 m diameter mirror, considerably larger than Hubble's 2.4 m mirror. This will allow JWST to provide improved infrared resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, and will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe, such as the formation of the first galaxies.

Updates

SwGustav • Dec. 25, 2021, 12:58 p.m.

Successful launch confirmed


SwGustav • Dec. 21, 2021, 9:37 p.m.

Delaying by 24 hours due to adverse weather forecast


Jay • Dec. 17, 2021, 10:18 p.m.

Go for launch.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 15, 2021, 12:25 a.m.

New NET date.


Cosmic_Penguin • Nov. 25, 2021, 12:56 a.m.

New launch date confirmed after additional spacecraft testing.


Ariane 5 ECA+

Family:
Configuration: ECA+

Ariane 5 ECA+ is a variant of the Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle, with a taller ECA-D upper stage.

Specifications
  • Max Stage
    2
  • Length
    57.7 m
  • Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    780.0 T
  • Thrust
    11400.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Ariane 5 ECA+
  • Family
  • Variant
    ECA+
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Ariane 5 ECA+
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    10200.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

ArianeGroup

ArianeGroup

(AG)

CEO: André-Hubert Roussel Founded: 2015 Successes: 0 Failures: 0 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

ArianeGroup (formerly Airbus Safran Launchers) is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux. It consists of three core arms: aerospace, defence and security.

INFO WIKI

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