Webb Rocket Rollout To Launch Pad Complete – Its Final Location on Earth

Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope onboard, is rolled out to the launch pad, Thursday, December 23, 2021, at Europe’s Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 21.3 foot (6.5 meter) primary mirror. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – inside the Ariane 5 rocket it will ride to space – has arrived at its final location on Earth: the Arianespace ELA-3 launch complex at Europe’s Spaceport located near Kourou, French Guiana. Webb is scheduled for liftoff at 7:20 am EST Saturday, December 25. With Webb and its rocket securely on the pad, the team will run electrical diagnostics to ensure all lights are green for launch. Teams will power on the observatory while at the launch pad to run one final aliveness test to ensure all systems have power and are working before liftoff.