NASA to Launch James Webb Telescope on Christmas Day

NASA confirmed this Wednesday that the launch of the James Webb telescope, considered the successor of Hubble, will take place on the morning of Christmas Day, expected at 12.20 GMT, in French Guiana.

NASA reported yesterday a new delay in the launch, previously scheduled for the 24th, due to bad weather, and set the new date on Christmas Day, although it left the confirmation for this afternoon on the 25th, once it was rechecked the weather forecast.

In a statement it has confirmed this afternoon that the launch is scheduled from 07.20 local time (12.20 GMT), with a 32-minute window to carry it out.

NASA has already explained that the entire pre-launch process has been reviewed and that the Ariane 5 rocket, responsible for transporting the telescope, is ready for its mission.

The James Webb Space Telescope, named after a former NASA administrator, will be the world’s largest space science observatory when released, capable of probing hitherto inaccessible worlds and exploring the origins of our solar system.

This joint mission of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency will be launched into space from the European spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on which the telescope has been secured this end of week.

The launch of the telescope, which was originally scheduled to go into orbit in spring 2019, has been delayed for at least four other times.

When it begins to operate, the telescope will carry out part of its observations outside the Solar System and exoplanets, for example, will be one of the pillars of this mission, according to scientists from the European Space Agency explained last week.

Inside the Solar System, the telescope will study planets beyond EarthLike the gas giants and icy planets, but above all, he is going to focus a lot on observing the atmospheres and the structure of those planets.