James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Model
James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Model

The James Webb Space Telescope will be a large infrared telescope with an approximately 6.5 meter primary mirror. The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2021. Webb will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System. A telescope's sensitivity, or how much detail it can see, is directly related to the size of the mirror area that collects light from the objects being observed. Webb's primary mirror is 6.5 meters (21 feet 4 inches) across; a mirror this large has never before been launched into space.