James Webb Space Telescope Set For Launch - Christmas Day

The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch on Christmas Day.  

It's the largest space telescope yet.  It's not a replacement for Hubble, but this 7 ton wonder is 100 times more powerful than Hubble.  

Think of the James Webb ST as a time machine with infrared vision that will look back over 13.5 billion years to detect the first stars and galaxies, emerging from the darkness of an early universe.

(The universe is 13.8 billion years old; so, yes Horatio, that's looking way back!)

Still more exciting, the James Webb ST will also be searching for life on other planets.  It will help scientists in identifying and measuring potential biosignatures in the exoplanets' atmospheres.

But first we have to launch it  into space, and travel a million miles away.  Unlike Hubble, if anything goes wrong, there is no second chance to make repairs.  I am already holding my breath.

This project is 20 years in the making, so much at stake.  But if successful, it will usher in a whole new era of science and discovery!

Introduction to the James Webb Space Telescope Mission/ NASA

Launch and Deployment

Where to watch the launch:

NASA tv

Webb's launch date is set for December 25, 2021

7:20amEST (2021-12-25 12:20  GMT/UTC).