From one space flier to another, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer shares a message of support for the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) launch, from ESA’s Columbus science laboratory on the International Space Station.

Matthias is currently living and working in space for his first mission known as Cosmic Kiss. He describes themission of Webb as part of humankind’s biggest adventure, as we explore the cosmos to understand our place within it.

Webb is the next great space science observatory following Hubble, designed to answer outstanding questions about the Universe and to make breakthrough discoveries in all fields of astronomy. It is an international partnership between the European Space Agency ESA, US space agency NASA, and the Canadian Space Agency CSA, and will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Webb is designed to see farther into our origins: from the formation of stars and planets to the birth of the first galaxies in the early Universe, just as the International Space Station enables us to learn more about our home planet.

Visit the ESA Webb mission page to find out more and follow Webb’s journey on Twitter at @ESA_Webb. For more on Matthias’s International Space Station mission, visit ESA’s Cosmic Kiss webpage.