NASA has launched a telescope. After 14 years of development and delays, the telescope was launched from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket on Christmas morning.
The second lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system is close to the Sun. It will take around a month to reach its destination, after which researchers will be able to look into black holes, observe some of the oldest galaxies in the universe and evaluate the habitability of various exoplanets.
The European and Canadian space agencies collaborated with NASA. Delays have been a part of the long history of the JSWT. In 2005, NASA re-thought the telescope after it became apparent that it would cost too much to launch in 2007. The project was put on hold for a second time because of construction problems after it was declared ready. The telescope was assembled in the middle of the year, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The launch date was set by NASA after the JWST reached the spaceport. The launch was delayed due to last-minute inspections and a lack of favorable weather. What a few days for such a long-in-the-works mission? We'll start to learn some of the discoveries from the JWST in the coming months.
