Video
Rocket brings “James Webb” telescope into space
A long-awaited rocket launch. The space telescope “James Webb” of the US space agency NASA has launched into space. An unmanned Ariane 5 launcher took off from the European launch base in Kourou in French Guiana on Saturday. On board: the nine billion dollar infrared telescope – it is supposed to be set on its way towards the sun. “Webb” will need around a month after separation from the rocket to reach its target within a solar orbit – around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It is one of the largest scientific projects in history and heralds a new era in astronomy. The telescope is named after James Webb, who headed Nasa in the 1960s. “Webb” is supposed to enable glimpses far back into the past of the universe – through clouds of gas and dust, where stars are born. The instrument is around a hundred times more sensitive than its predecessor “Hubble” and was developed under the direction of NASA in cooperation with the Canadian space agency and the European organization ESA.
An unmanned Ariane 5 launcher took off from the European launch base in French Guiana on Saturday. On board: the nine billion dollar infrared telescope.