Mission Reports

Astronomers have discovered nearly 5,000 planets orbiting other stars in the last 30 years, and the James Webb Space Telescope will begin scanning a sample of the alien worlds next year to find out which ones might harbor the ingredients for life.

The James Webb Space Telescope, set for launch in the coming days, will look back more than 13.5 billion years in time to see the faint infrared light from the first galaxies, revealing a previously unseen era of cosmic history that shaped the universe of today.

With weather conditions looking favorable for launch Saturday, Arianespace teams in French Guiana transferred an Ariane 5 rocket to its jungle launch complex Thursday with the James Webb Space Telescope.

A poor weather forecast at the Guiana Space Center in South America has forced officials to delay the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope by one day to Dec. 25, Christmas morning, mission managers said Tuesday.