Much-Delayed James Webb’s Long Journey to Launch

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is secured on top of the Ariane 5 rocket that will launch it to space from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, in this photo released by the European Space Agency, on Dec. 11, 2021. M.Pedoussaut/ESA via AP

Scientists are targeting a launch no earlier than Dec. 24 for the much-delayed successor to Hubble, the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope.

The telescope arrived at Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, in October, a significant hurdle on its long journey to launch.