The James Webb was built by the space agencies of Europe (ESA), the United States (NASA), and Canada (CSA). From the Netherlands, Leiden University, research institute TNO and scientific bureau NOVA-OIR are involved in the project that cost 8 billion.
Looking back a billion years
The space telescope is the size of a tennis court and had to be folded to fit into the loading pod of the Ariane 5 rocket. Three minutes after launch, the capsule was jettisoned and after 27 minutes the telescope was released. The James Webb will slowly unfold throughout its journey.
You can see how the telescope will study the universe in the video below:
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The James Webb can see a billion years further back in time than the Hubble can. Among other things, he has to search for planets where life is possible, for distant galaxies and traces of the Big Bang. It should remain in use for at least ten years.
Hubble will burn
“The Webb’s promise is not to discover what we expect, but to make discoveries about the universe that we can’t even imagine,” said Bill Nelson, NASA director, after the launch. “I can’t wait to see what he will bring to light.”
Dutchman Maurice te Plate collaborated on the gigantic project. “It’s a crazy idea that it’s really here now, but it’s certainly nice that it is finally happening,” he says. “We’ve worked so hard, put so much energy into it. And now I want to see what he can do, what he’s going to show us all.”
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Predecessor Hubble was launched in 1990 and has been orbiting the Earth ever since at an altitude of more than 500 kilometers. After more than thirty years, the Hubble is at the end of its life. Recently, the telescope was regularly turned off due to technical problems. Sometime in the next ten years, the Hubble will fall out of orbit. Then it burns up in the atmosphere.
The James Webb should reach his workplace in about a month. The first images and data are expected in the summer of 2022.
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