Space: Successful launch of the James Webb Telescope

Exceptional Christmas Gift for Scientists Around the World: James Webb, the largest man-made space telescope ever launched successfully by the Ariane 5 rocket on Saturday, December 25, from Kourou (French Guiana). It is the result of nearly thirty years of international cooperation. In the control room, an exceptional fact is that Europeans are rubbing shoulders with Americans. Everyone is relieved when the space telescope is left in orbit. “There was a wait, it’s very moving”, Explains Pierre Ferruit of the European Space Agency (ESA).

James Webb’s final orbit is 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, four times the distance from the Moon. Thanks to its infrared technology, it can first track the signs of life around galaxies, black holes or extraterrestrial planets. “We would like to focus on the farthest galaxies in the universe that formed after the Big Bang.”, Says Mark McCaughrean, ESA’s Scientific Adviser. The deployment of James Webb will last about thirty days, during which scientists “Still biting more fingers”, Says ESA Chief Scientific Officer. The telescope is expected to send its first images within six months.