ESA Science & Technology - Artist's view of Webb on an Ariane 5 rocket

Artist's impression of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), folded in the Ariane 5 rocket during launch from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

JWST is the next great space science observatory, designed to answer outstanding questions about the Universe and to make breakthrough discoveries in all fields of astronomy. JWST will see farther into our origins - from the formation of stars and planets, to the birth of the first galaxies in the early Universe.

JWST is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and CSA.