Once launched, Nasa’s Hubble successor will be the world’s most powerful telescope with the ability to probe deeper and further back into space than ever before.
The launch has been delayed by 14 years and is roughly ten times over budget, although once in orbit will hopefully give scientists a more detailed look at the start of the universe, the birth of stars, and possibly the origins of life.
Originally set for a Christmas Eve launch on the back of an Ariane 5 rocket, poor weather conditions at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana has forced a 24-hour delay.
Encapsulation of the JWST inside the cargo bay of the rocket was completed last Friday and it is now poised for blast-off just after midday on Saturday.
If all goes according to plan, the $9bn instrument will be released from the rocket after a 26-minute ride into space.
It will then take the Webb telescope a month to coast to its destination in solar orbit roughly one million miles from Earth ...