ArianespaceAriane 5 ECA+Ariane Launch Area 3, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Launched
December 25, 2021 · 12:20 UTC
Image: ESA/S. Corvaja
Summary
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA+ from Ariane Launch Area 3, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on December 25, 2021 at 12:20 UTC. The launch window ran from 12:20 to 12:52 UTC. It was Arianespace's 306th launch, 14th this year and humanity's 6,176th orbital launch attempt. It was the 6th Ariane 5 ECA+ flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Earth L2 (L2). JWST, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 324 × 1,011,931 km orbit inclined 4.1°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Astrophysics · Sun-Earth L2 (L2)
- Milestone
- 6th Ariane 5 ECA+ flight · 3rd this yearArianespace's 306th launch14th this yearhumanity's 6,176th orbital launch attempt139th orbital launch attempt this year
Webcast
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
JWST · NORAD 50463 · 2021-130 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- JWST
- Object ID
- 2021-130A
- Epoch
- 2021-12-25 16:04:48 UTC
- Mean motion
- 0.0236627 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.9869375
- Inclination
- 4.056°
- Ascending node
- 89.225°
- Arg. of perigee
- 191.877°
- Mean anomaly
- 1.22°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: L2. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage
- JWST · NORAD 50463 · left Earth orbit December 26, 2021
Ariane 5 L5114 ESC-D · left Earth orbit December 26, 2021
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The James Webb Space Telescope is a space telescope developed by NASA, ESA and CSA to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship astrophysics mission. Its primary mirror, the Optical Telescope Element, is composed of 18 hexagonal mirror segments which combine to create a 6.5 m diameter mirror, considerably larger than Hubble's 2.4 m mirror. This will allow JWST to provide improved infrared resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, and will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe, such as the formation of the first galaxies.
News
Webb and Hubble observe stellar nurseries, galaxies, and gravitational lensing in new imagesTeams using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope — both jointly…
Cosmic House of MirrorsGalaxies warp and multiply as if in a house of mirrors in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released on Sept. 29, 2026. The brilliant golden galaxies seen here are part of a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies bunched together on one side of the image, however, are not actually […]
Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting OriginFirst discovered in 2007, fast radio bursts are enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio emission from the distant universe. Their origin remains uncertain, particularly since most are seen once and never again. Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed the host galaxy of the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) seen to date. Their […]
NASA’s Webb Captures Commotion From Nebula’s Stellar JetsA cauldron of cosmic creation is being revealed in a new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb has unveiled numerous stars formerly hidden by clouds of dust in a stellar nursery known as NGC 7129, which resides about 3,300 light-years from Earth. Stars, the engines of elemental creation, have life cycles that begin […]
Webb captures commotion from nebula’s stellar jetsFrom the ESA Blogs.
NASA’s Webb Provides Crash Course on Planet-Shattering CollisionsIn the early history of our solar system, scientists theorize that a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, vaporizing massive amounts of rock and blasting it into space. Some of that material coalesced into the Moon, where NASA’s Artemis program is returning humans, preparing for Mars, and shaping the future of space […]
Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrorsThis NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features galaxies in great detail that have been warped and multiplied like they’ve stepped into a house of mirrors. The brilliant golden galaxies splashed across this image belong to a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies concentrated on one side of the cluster are not actually part of the cluster and are much farther away from us.
APOD: 2026 September 17 – A Treasure Chest in the Carina NebulaAPOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 17 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. A Treasure […]
Pad
Ariane Launch Area 3, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
113th launch from Ariane Launch Area 3, 3rd this year · 311th from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Local pad time at liftoff: Dec 25, 9:20 AM GMT-3, in daylight
118 launches from this pad · 336 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
62 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Guiana Space Centre, French GuianaOpen in maps
Updates
Successful launch confirmed
Show 8 earlier updates
Delaying by 24 hours due to adverse weather forecast
SwGustav · 12/21/2021 · source
Go for launch.
Jay · 12/17/2021 · source
New NET date.
Cosmic_Penguin · 12/15/2021 · source
New launch date confirmed after additional spacecraft testing.
Cosmic_Penguin · 11/25/2021 · source
Delayed by four days due to a processing incident.
Nosu · 11/22/2021 · source
Adding launch window
Nosu · 10/13/2021 · source
Targeted launch date announced
spacevogel · 9/8/2021 · source
JWST launch now TBD November.
Nosu · 6/2/2021 · source
Questions
When did James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launch?
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on December 25, 2021 at 12:20 UTC. The launch window ran from 12:20 to 12:52 UTC.
Where can I watch James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)?
Coverage: Ariane 5 JWST; James Webb Space Telescope Launch — Official NASA Broadcast; Flight VA256 – James Webb Space Telescope | Ariane 5 Launch | Arianespace. Watch the replay
What rocket launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)?
Ariane 5 ECA+, flown by Arianespace. Ariane 5 ECA+ spec sheet
Where did James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launch from?
Ariane Launch Area 3, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. Liftoff was Dec 25, 9:20 AM GMT-3 local time at the pad.
What orbit did James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reach?
JWST, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 324 × 1,011,931 km orbit inclined 4.1°.
How many satellites did James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) part of?
NASA Large Strategic Science Missions. About NASA Large Strategic Science Missions