Find here all of our live #JAMES_WEBB
2:10 p.m. : Applause and cheers here as JWST, finally drifting in space on its own, deploys its solar arrays https://t.co/iytWeiUHC9
2:11 p.m. : The telescope solar panels have been deployed successfully, and will be able to supply it with electricity, to the applause of the journalists present in Kourou.
2:06 p.m. : Separation confirmed: #GoWebb and congratulations # Ariane5! #WebbFliesAriane #UnfoldTheUniverse # VA256 https://t.co/mvqLJS3y7r
2:05 p.m. : The James Webb space telescope is now entirely separate from the Ariane 5 rocket, and continues on its way to its orbit point, for the moment without incident.
2:16 p.m. : Hello . Indeed I had misunderstood the destination of the telescope (the error has been corrected): it is heading in the direction opposite to the Sun, towards a point located 1.5 million kilometers away. ESA published a very clear diagram (but captioned in English). This location protects it from the light and heat coming from the Sun but also from the Earth, to maintain the low temperature necessary for the observation of infrared rays.
13:42 : It is probably on the other side of the Moon that you meant (the Sun is located 150 million km from Earth).
13:36 : Our colleagues from Guyana the 1st have prepared a very comprehensive article presenting ten things to know about this telescope and its design. Which evokes in particular a downside mentioned by some of you in the comments: its cost, multiplied by 20 over development to reach 10 billion dollars. A slate shared between Europe, the United States and Canada.
13:33 : Folded to enter the rocket that launches it, the James Webb telescope will have to deploy, a delicate technical operation. It is notably equipped with a sun visor which must both protect it during its journey and provide it with energy. Unfolded, the telescope is the size of a tennis court.
13:38 : Unlike his predecessor Hubble, James Webb is not going to position himself in orbit around the Earth. Its destination is 1.5 million kilometers away, in the opposite direction to that of the sun, at a location called the second Lagrange point. He must reach it in a month. Once there, he will begin a phase of testing his instruments. Observations are due to start in six months.
13:24 : The thrusters and then the rocket fairing have been successfully released. The main floor will be in six minutes. And the telescope will completely separate from its launcher 27 minutes after launch, at 1:47 p.m.
2:17 p.m. : Why is this new telescope important? I refer you once again to the article by our journalist Louis San which explains how it will offer unprecedented possibilities for observing space, and in particular the far reaches of the Universe where he will observe the formation of the first galaxies. .
13:21 : The Ariane 5 rocket took off successfully, with the James Webb Space Telescope on board. Watch his race live.
1:17 p.m. : Why is the Europe Spaceport in Guyana the ideal launch site for #Webb? ✅The rotation speed of the ? gives @ ariane5 an extra boost ✅The launch path is far from any inhabited area✅No cyclone or earthquake https://t.co/H7LpNqZYOm
1:17 p.m. : Why is this launch taking place in Kourou, French Guiana? The European Space Agency explains this choice on Twitter. The proximity of the site to the Equator means that the earth rotates there a little faster, which gives “a helping hand” to the rocket.
1:15 p.m. : Ariane 5 will take off in 7 minutes. Now is the time to read the European Space Agency’s comprehensive guide to the Webb Telescope and its launch.
13:14 : The choice to name this telescope James Webb has been contested this year in articles published by two scientific journals, Scientific american and Nature, accusing him of having endorsed homophobic sanctions against employees of the US government and NASA. The latter refused to rename the telescope after an internal investigation that did not find “no proof” of its involvement in these sanctions.
1:10 p.m. : But why is this telescope called James Webb? It’s the name of a former boss of NASA, the US space agency. James Webb, administrator of the agency from 1961 to 1968, notably oversaw the launch of the Apollo program intended to send a man to the moon, although he was no longer in control when it was completed in 1969.
1:06 p.m. : The special edition of franceinfo dedicated to the launch of the most advanced space telescope ever designed is about to begin, and you can watch it here. The European Space Agency, which contributes to the project, also offers live video in French. Take-off is scheduled for 1:20 p.m.
1:03 p.m. : Fueling is now complete! ?Our # Ariane5 is sitting tight @EuropeSpacePort with its passenger: @ NASAWebb / @ ESA_Webb! # VA256 #WebbFliesAriane https://t.co/LPs5y7xg0N
1:03 p.m. : # VA256 H0-25min before takeoff from #webb, all the lights are green! ?✅ #WebbFliesAriane #JamesWebb #NASA #UnfoldTheUniverse #WebbSeesFarther https://t.co/e2SkQ1UB5v
1:03 p.m. : All the lights are green for the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket, which carries the James Webb telescope into space, announces the Guyanese space center on Twitter. The weather, which had forced to postpone this launch scheduled for December 22, is satisfactory. And the full was done.
12h18 : Hello. A small site (in French) to follow the launch of the JWST: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/ESA_Web_TV. Thanks to Franceinfo and merry Christmas to all
12:31 : Hello @Saul Bellow. On franceinfo of course, the special edition of which will begin at 1 p.m. You can watch it in our live stream dedicated to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The European Space Agency also offers a live video (in English), which @Kamuinoken kindly pointed out to us.
12:16 : Hello. Do you know which channel to watch Ariane 5 take off live? Thanks in advance.
12:13 : It’s time for a new update on the news of December 25:
The James Webb Space Telescope will take off from Kourou, Guyana, between 1:20 p.m. and 1:52 p.m. You can follow the launch in our live. We explain how it will revolutionize the observation of space.
Saudi Arabia has announced that it is launching a major military operation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, after a strike that killed two people on Saudi territory.
In a context of frenzy of tests before Christmas, 94,000 new cases of Covid-19 were detected yesterday in France. This threshold has never been reached since the start of the epidemic in March 2020, according to figures published by Public Health France.
11:46 am : People lining up outside the Jupiter building, some wearing Santa hats for the occasion. Visitors had to show proof of vaccination to enter today. https://t.co/GokrM5r51p
11:46 am : It is 7.45 am in Kourou, from where the telescope will take off, and the people who will attend the launch of Ariane 5 arrive at the control room. Some have Christmas hats on their heads, laughs an American journalist on the spot.
11:44 : This new telescope will also allow better observation of the coldest stars. One of his tasks will be to map the ice on the surface of the moons of Jupiter. It will also allow a leap in our knowledge of exoplanets. To learn more about James Webb’s exciting missions, I refer you to Louis San’s article.
11:50 a.m. : James Webb is not only more powerful: unlike Hubble, it captures infrared light, the only one that reaches us from the far reaches of the Universe, so distant that observing them also allows us to witness the birth of the first galaxies .
11:37 : The event on December 25 is the launch of the James Webb space telescope, which will take off aboard the Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou (Guyana) at around 1:20 p.m. My colleague Louis San explains to you the many missions of this tool, the most advanced telescope ever sent into space, the design of which took several decades.
11:29 a.m. : #WEATHER REPORT To finish this forecast, Météo France informs me that the weather is overcast, with light showers and a wind of 15 km / h, in Kourou, from where the Ariane 5 rocket must take off in a little over three hours to launch the James Webb Space Telescope. The weather is the only factor that can further delay the launch, already postponed (it was scheduled for the 22nd). A final weather balloon must be launched in the next few minutes to ensure that the conditions are met.
11:29 a.m. : # At the Guyana Space Center in Kourou, it’s not a Christmas like any other: its employees are busy preparing the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket which will carry the James Webb telescope, Guyana the 1st tells. Delayed by a few days, it must take place this afternoon, in a 32-minute window after 1:20 p.m. (French time) and you can follow it live.
11:29 a.m. : Let’s start by recalling the main information of the last few hours:
The James Webb Space Telescope will take off from Kourou, Guyana, around 1:30 p.m. The most sophisticated machine ever sent to observe space, it must allow us to see the origins of our universe.
In a context of testing frenzy before Christmas, 94,000 new cases of Covid-19 were detected yesterday in France. This threshold has never been reached since the start of the epidemic in March 2020, according to figures published by Public Health France. A new Health Defense Council was announced for Monday.
In a four-minute video posted on social networks, Emmanuel Macron pays tribute to the French soldiers engaged in France and around the world. “I would like to reiterate to you my deep gratitude for the spirit which animates you in the missions which you accomplish”, says the president.