James Webb went into space. This is the most expensive, largest and most powerful telescope in history.

On December 25, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Ariane 5 rocket with the most valuable history with a load - the James Webb Space Telescope, which should replace the already obsolete Hubble. The start of the mission was broadcast online.

Ariane 5 was launched from the Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. After separation from the booster rocket, the booster was launched, which sent Webb to its working orbit, located at a distance of one and a half million kilometers - almost four times the distance of the Moon. On this path will go away about a month.

Upon reaching the set point, antennas, sun screens and the main optical mirror with a diameter of 6.6 meters will be deployed in several stages. For comparison, the Hubble has a diameter of 2.4 meters. Setting up and calibrating all Webb systems can take about six months.

One of the key tasks telescope - the detection of light from the first stars and galaxies formed after the Big Bang, and the study of the formation and development of planetary systems.

Scientists also plan to use it to find new exoplanets and study their gas composition, explore small bodies of the solar system and look into the farthest corners of the universe. For this "James Webb" will scan space in the optical and infrared ranges.

If all the observatory systems are successfully launched, the first scientific research at the Webb base will begin in early 2022. The telescope will operate for 5 to 10 years. It will not be possible to operate it longer, since highly sensitive sensors must be constantly cooled with liquid helium, and the device has a limited supply of it.

The development of James Webb took over 25 years and about $ 10 billion. The telescope bears the name of the former NASA executive who oversaw the agency's first manned launches. Webb passed away in 1992.

The material is being supplemented.