Webb in a nutshell

The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) will be the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space. It follows in the footsteps of the Hubble Space Telescope as the next great space science observatory, designed to answer outstanding questions about the Universe and to make breakthrough discoveries in all fields of astronomy.

Webb will observe the Universe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared – at wavelengths longer than visible light. To do so, it carries a suite of state-of-the-art cameras, spectrographs and coronagraphs.

ESA plays a crucial role in Webb’s science payload, contributing the NIRSpec instrument and a 50% share of the MIRI instrument, as well as personnel to support mission operations.

Webb will see farther into our origins – from the Universe's first galaxies, to the birth of stars and planets, and exoplanets with the potential for life. Closer to home, Webb will also look at our own Solar System.

Webb will reach space on an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, a launch contributed by ESA.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).