James Webb Space Telescope Cleared To Launch

Currently, the Hubble Space Telescope is experiencing an issue that’s preventing it from exploring the heavens. Whether or not NASA can fix Hubble remains to be seen, but Hubble’s replacement, the James Web Space Telescope, has been cleared for launch. The launch won’t happen before October of this year.

The Webb space telescope has significantly updated hardware compared to Hubble and will peer further into the past universe than ever before. The telescope has a 6.5-meter diameter mirror, which is larger than the mirror on Hubble, and will look at stars in the infrared spectrum.

The telescope will orbit further from Earth than the Hubble does and the more distant orbit combined with upgraded technologies to allow it to see the light from stars that formed immediately after the Big Bang. The telescope will also help in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Currently, the Webb telescope is scheduled to launch on October 31. It is an ESA spacecraft that will launch from French Guiana via an Ariane 5 rocket. The telescope has been a long time coming, and we hope the launch goes off without a hitch.