The James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful observatory ever built, is scheduled to launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. Once in orbit, it will allow astronomers to peer into the farthest reaches of the universe.
Conceived 30 years ago as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, the Webb is a joint project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
The project has experienced numerous delays and cost overruns, ballooning from $500 million to almost $10 billion.
