Watch the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope—the most powerful space telescope ever made. This mission is scheduled to lift off at 7:20 a.m. EST (12:20 UTC), Dec. 22, 2021, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
With revolutionary technology, Webb will observe a part of space and time never seen before, providing a wealth of amazing views into an era when the very first stars and galaxies formed––over 13.5 billion years ago.
It can explore our own solar system’s residents with exquisite new detail and study the atmospheres of distant worlds. From new forming stars to devouring black holes, Webb will reveal all this and more! It’s the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope ever built.
Webb is an international collaboration between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). Thousands of engineers and hundreds of scientists worked to make Webb a reality, along with over 300 universities, organizations, and companies from 29 U.S. states and 14 countries!
Europe is too far from the equator for efficient space launches. The site they’ve chosen (chosen by the French, originally) is close to ideal: near the equator, with open water to the east for debris to fall into.
With the close of our Space shuttle program, for a time American astronauts had to hitch a ride to the ISS on Soyuz rockets from Kazakhstan. Now we can blast off from American soil via Elon Musk’s Spacex spacecraft.
Just looking at the map, Kenya would also be a good place to launch rockets, but has it’s difficulties also. We have a spaceport in south Texas, but so far is just a glorified Six Flags ride.
They always tell me that because the Bible says light was created before the sun and stars that means their light appears older than it is or some other weird nonsense.
It may blow your mind to learn that the spaceport is in French Guiana which is a French territory and part of the EU. If you go to watch the launch and then go to a local restaurant afterwards you will be paying for your meal with Euros.
This is no surprise and in no way blows my mind. All I have said is that it is a bit counterintuitive [superficially and at first glance] that Europe’s space port should be in South America. Good grief.
It’s now December 24 at 6 am EST or 7:20 am EST. Not sure which time is correct; the NASA youtube channel lists both times. But an excellent Christmas present.
