Science’s ‘most important tool’ finally ready to launch

The James Webb Telescope, set to launch on December 18th, is the largest and most complex telescope ever built. After years of delays, it will be launched from French Guyana on an Ariane rocket. The telescope will orbit the Sun at 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Initially planned for a 2007 launch with a $500 million budget, its cost has ballooned to $10 billion. Key features include a 6.5-meter mirror and a sunshield the size of a tennis court, which posed significant engineering challenges.

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