James Webb Space Telescope arrives in French Guiana ahead of launch

By Georgina Torbet October 17, 2021

The James Webb Space Telescope, a brand new telescope that will allow astronomers to hunt for habitable exoplanets, learn about star formation, and even study the formation of the universe itself, has arrived at its launch destination in French Guiana this week. Webb was shipped over 5,800 miles from California, through the Panama Canal, to Port de Pariacabo on the Kourou River, located on the northeast coast of South America.

After a 16-day journey, Webb arrived in French Guiana on Tuesday, October 12. Engineers will now set about preparing it for its launch in December this year from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou. The mission is a partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.

A cargo ship carrying the James Webb Space Telescope arriving safely at Pariacabo harbour in French Guiana. — The James Webb Space Telescope, a once-in-a-generation space mission, arrived safely at Pariacabo harbor in French Guiana on October 12, 2021, ahead of its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport. ESA/CNES/Arianespace

“A talented team across America, Canada, and Europe worked together to build this highly complex observatory. It’s an incredible challenge — and very much worthwhile. We are going to see things in the universe beyond what we can even imagine today,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a statement. “Now that Webb has arrived in Kourou, we’re getting it ready for launch in December — and then we will watch in suspense over the next few weeks and months as we launch and ready the largest space telescope ever built.”

Recommended Videos

To keep the delicate hardware of Webb safe as it traveled, it was loaded into a custom-made case called Space Telescope Transporter for Air, Road, and Sea, or STTARS, which weighs 168,000 pounds and is 110 feet long. For more on the journey, NASA has a two-part video series showing how the telescope was transported.

TheJames Webb telescope packed in its protective transport container. — The Webb telescope’s journey to space began with engineers packing the telescope into its protective transport container. The container was then moved from Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California, to Seal Beach, California. Waiting at Seal Beach was the ship that would carry Webb to French Guiana. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

“Webb’s arrival at the launch site is a momentous occasion,” said Gregory Robinson, Webb’s program director at NASA Headquarters. “We are very excited to finally send the world’s next great observatory into deep space. Webb has crossed the country and traveled by sea. Now it will take its ultimate journey by rocket one million miles from Earth, to capture stunning images of the first galaxies in the early universe that are certain to transform our understanding of our place in the cosmos.”

Topics

Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…

Space

James Webb Telescope captures gorgeous galaxy with a hungry monster at its heart

Featured in this new image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is Messier 106, also known as NGC 4258. This is a nearby spiral galaxy that resides roughly 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, practically a neighbour by cosmic standards. Messier 106 is one of the brightest and nearest spiral galaxies to our own and two supernovae have been observed in this galaxy in 1981 and 2014.

A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows off a nearby galaxy called Messier 106 -- a spiral galaxy that is particularly bright. At just 23 million light-years away (that's relatively close by galactic standards), this galaxy is of particular interest to astronomers due to its bustling central region, called an active galactic nucleus.

The high level of activity in this central region is thought to be due to the monster that lurks at the galaxy's heart. Like most galaxies including our own, Messier 106 has an enormous black hole called a supermassive black hole at its center. However, the supermassive black hole in Messier 106 is particularly active, gobbling up material like dust and gas from the surrounding area. In fact, this black hole eats so much matter that as it spins, it warps the disk of gas around it, which creates streamers of gas flying out from this central region.

Space

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket arrives at Kennedy. Next stop: the moon

After completing its journey from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility aboard the Pegasus barge, teams with Exploration Ground Systems transport the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on July 23.

After completing its journey from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility aboard the Pegasus barge, teams with Exploration Ground Systems transport the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on July 23. NASA/Isaac Watson

NASA's epic Space Launch System rocket, standing 322 feet tall when fully stacked, has recently been on an similarly epic journey -- traveling from New Orleans to Florida via barge. The rocket began its journey more than two weeks ago, and having covered more than 900 miles has now arrived safe at the Kennedy Space Center.

Space

James Webb takes rare direct image of a nearby super-Jupiter

Artist’s impression of a cold gas giant orbiting a red dwarf. Only a point of light is visible on the JWST/MIRI images. Nevertheless, the initial analysis suggests the presence of a gaseous planet that may have properties similar to Jupiter.

Even with huge ground-based observatories and the latest technology in space-based telescopes, it's still relatively rare for astronomers to take an image of an exoplanet. Planets outside our solar system are so far away and so small and dim compared to the stars they orbit that it's extremely difficult to study them directly. That's why most observations of exoplanets are made by studying their host stars. Now, though, the James Webb Space Telescope has directly imaged a gas giant -- and it's one of the coldest exoplanets observed so far.

The planet, named Epsilon Indi Ab, is located 12 light-years away and has an estimated temperature of just 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius). The fact it is so cool compared to most exoplanets meant that Webb's sensitive instruments were needed to study it.