A Christmas Day launch to a point a million miles away
Open mission
The James Webb Space Telescope launched on an Ariane 5 from French Guiana on 25 December 2021 and travelled to the Sun-Earth L2 point, about a million miles from Earth. Its tennis-court-sized sunshield and 18-segment gold mirror unfolded on the way, and its first science images were released in July 2022.
4 video perspectives
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12:03
An animation from Northrop Grumman depicts the planned launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5 and its deployment on the way to Sun-Earth L2, 1 million miles from Earth.
Published 24 Jan 2017
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2:17:30
Official NASA and ESA broadcast of the James Webb Space Telescope launch on an Ariane 5 from French Guiana on 25 December 2021.
Published 25 Dec 2021
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9:13
Coverage of the James Webb Space Telescope lifting off on an Ariane 5 from the Guiana Space Centre on December 25, 2021, at 12:20 GMT.
Published 25 Dec 2021
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19:35
An animated explainer of how space telescopes work, comparing Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Published 20 Dec 2024