James Webb telescope is going to space on December 22, FINALLY

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) and world’s biggest and most powerful space science telescope, James Webb Orbit Telescope is set to launch on December 22 from Kourou, French Guiana. Webb is a one-of-a-kind space telescope that will observe within our galaxy as well as the first galaxies in our universe, investigate the birth of stars and solar systems, will study how galaxies blossom over cosmic time, and perform comprehensive research of planets orbiting other stars. Equipped with infrared light to detect celestial bodies, Webb's scientific discoveries will help us better comprehend the origins of the universe and our role in it.

James Webb telescope: What is it?

James Webb Space Telescope is an international program led by NASA with its partners European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, will be the world’s premier space science observatory when it launches in 2021. Webb's mission is to unravel mysteries in our solar system, explore beyond distant worlds orbiting other stars, explore every phase of cosmic history, and investigate the fascinating structures and origins of our universe and our place within it.

James Webb telescope structure

The giant telescope is around three floors tall and as wide as a tennis court. It includes 18 ultra-sensitive primary mirror segments that are coated in a gold mass the size of a golf ball, making them ideal for reflecting infrared lights, even though the coating is so thin that a human hair is 1,000 times thicker. It also comes with a cutting-edge sunshield that keeps the telescope cool.

What will the James Webb telescope do after launch?

The telescope will unfold into its ultimate shape after launch, which will take approximately two weeks. The telescope will reach its extraterrestrial target a million miles from Earth almost after a month of launch. The telescope must then cool to its cryogenic operational temperatures, which are far below 50 Kelvin (-370 °F), in the shade of its sunshield. The instruments will be adjusted and the mirrors will be exactly aligned. Then after six months of the launch, it will be ready to capture images of space like never seen before.