. 24/7 Space News .
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA's next space telescope to launch in December
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2021

The James Webb Space Telescope, which astronomers hope will herald a new era of discovery, will launch on December 18, NASA said Wednesday.

The $10 billion observatory, which is a joint project by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, will blast off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Spaceport in French Guiana.

It is currently stowed at contractor Northrop Grumman's facilities in Redondo Beach, California, where it is awaiting shipping.

"Webb is an exemplary mission that signifies the epitome of perseverance," said Webb's NASA program director Gregory Robinson in a statement.

"We are extremely honored to orbit NASA's James Webb Space Telescope with Ariane, a first for Arianespace and the European space team," added Stephane Israel, CEO of Arianespace.

Researchers want to use the space telescope, the largest and most powerful ever built, to look back in time over 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies that formed, a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

A key feature is its ability to detect infrared, as by the time the light from the first objects reaches our telescopes, it has shifted towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum as a result of the universe's expansion.

The current premier space telescope, Hubble, only has limited infrared capacity.

Astronomers also hope the James Webb Space Telescope will supercharge the discovery of alien worlds.

The first planets to orbit other stars were detected in the 1990s and there are now more than 4,000 exoplanets that have been confirmed.


Related Links
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Ariane 5 elements for Webb launch reach Europe's Spaceport
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Sep 08, 2021
Major elements of the Ariane 5 rocket to launch the James Webb Space Telescope arrived safely in Kourou, French Guiana from Europe on 3 September 2021. The rocket's fairing, upper stage and core stage have been unloaded from the MN Toucan vessel at Pariacabo harbour and transported by special convoy to Europe's Spaceport about 3 km away from the wharf. Webb will be stowed folded inside the fairing built by RUAG Space in Emmen, Switzerland. This ogive-shaped fairing at the top of Ariane 5 is ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is ready for his first ISS mission - 'Cosmic Kiss'

Dates set for Space Station change of command as Franco-German relations awarded Media prize

Safeguarding clean water for spaceflight missions

Next generation of Orion spacecraft in production for future Artemis missions

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA awards launch services contract for GOES-U Mission

DLR agrees cooperation with Spanish start-up Pangea Aerospace

Winds delay South Australian launch attempt

Space industry grapples with COVID-19-related oxygen fuel shortage

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA's Perseverance rover collects puzzle pieces of Mars' history

Buttes on Mars may serve as radiation shelters

NASA's Perseverance rover collects first rock sample

Mars rocks collected by Perseverance boost case for ancient life

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Space exploration priority of nation's sci-tech agenda

New extravehicular pump ensures stable operation of China's space station

Chinese astronauts out of spacecraft for second time EVA

China's astronauts make spacewalk to upgrade robotic arm

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
China launches Zhongxing-9B satellite

Hughes and OneWeb announce agreements for low earth Orbit satellite service in US and India

Orbit MPT30-Ku 12" Airborne SATCOM Terminal receives Intelsat FlexAir for government qualification

Eutelsat completes OneWeb equity investment

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
China develops sustainable development satellite

Space junk traffic dangers to be tackled by first-of-its-kind research centre in UK

D-Orbit UK signs contract with ESA for development of debris removal technology

Global computing's carbon footprint is bigger than previously estimated

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Earthlike planets in other solar systems? Look for moons

Antennas searching for ET threatened by wildfire

The first cells might have used temperature to divide

Cold planets exist throughout our Galaxy, even in the Galactic bulge

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
A few steps closer to Europa: spacecraft hardware makes headway

Juno joins Japan's Hisaki satellite and Keck Observatory to solve "energy crisis" on Jupiter

Hubble finds first evidence of water vapor on Ganymede

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for the Europa Clipper Mission









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.