The James Webb Space Telescope, which cost NASA about $8.8 billion to build, launch, and commission, is scheduled to be rocketed into orbit no earlier than December 22.
It will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Spaceport located near Kourou, French Guiana. NASA says it is beneficial for launch sites to be located near the equator as the spin of the Earth can help give an additional push. Webb’s carries four major scientific instruments: Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam); Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec); Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI); Near-Infrared Imager; and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) with the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS).
These will help find clues about the first formed galaxies, the evolution of our solar system and also search for exoplanets and building blocks of life elsewhere in the universe.
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