.jpg)
The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch sometime March 2020. It will launch from the European space port in French Guiana. That according to Wayne Ung, a Mission Assurance Engineer. He is with Northrup Grumman which is building the telescope portion of the international project.
It will soar aboard a Ariana 5 rocket, Europe's contribution to the project. "Telescopes have been around for about 400 years," said Ung, "and the first telescope to be put into space occurred in the late 1940's'. He briefly described the evolution of telescopes, culminating in the Hubble Telescope. That is until the James Webb Telescope came along.
Costing an estimated $10 billion, the telescope will allow astronomers to peer back to the very beginnings of the universe, estimated to be 
13.8 billion years, in fact the first light of the Universe. Unlike the Hubble, which orbits the earth at about 350 miles, the Webb, which has six times the light gathering power of the Hubble, will be in a stationary orbit at about one million miles from earth. It is so far away that astronauts ill not be able to visit the Webb in the event repairs are needed. Well, at least currently! In terms of size, the Webb is 72 feet long (compared to the Hubble at 44 feet long) and when fully deployed will be the size of a tennis court. It must fit inside the 16 foot diameter of the Ariane, and is designed to last 5 1/2 to 10 years; though the Hubble is still in operation 25 years after launch.
13.8 billion years, in fact the first light of the Universe. Unlike the Hubble, which orbits the earth at about 350 miles, the Webb, which has six times the light gathering power of the Hubble, will be in a stationary orbit at about one million miles from earth. It is so far away that astronauts ill not be able to visit the Webb in the event repairs are needed. Well, at least currently! In terms of size, the Webb is 72 feet long (compared to the Hubble at 44 feet long) and when fully deployed will be the size of a tennis court. It must fit inside the 16 foot diameter of the Ariane, and is designed to last 5 1/2 to 10 years; though the Hubble is still in operation 25 years after launch.The Webb presents unique engineering challenges. Among them, the 500 degree difference between the bottom of the sun shield which protects the Webb from the heat of the Sun, and the top of the sun shield where the telescope will sit, according to Ung.
50 years of age.