James Webb Space Telescope
Robotic missionActive science mission at Sun-Earth L2
Webb unfolds the largest space telescope ever launched and opens a new infrared view of cosmic history
Observe first light and early galaxies, trace galaxy and star formation, study planets and the origins of life, and conduct infrared investigations across the solar system and universe. After a month-long sequence of more than 300 deployment steps, Webb aligned eighteen mirror segments and began science in 2022. It has characterized exoplanet atmospheres, resolved star and planet formation, examined the earliest known galaxies, measured nearby solar-system bodies, and supports thousands of observing programs.
Mission photo archive
Reviewed images documenting James Webb Space Telescope. Each image includes its source and credit.
GJ 486 b transmission spectrum and competing models, May 2023
Published May 1, 2023: GJ 486 b transmission measurements are plotted with water-rich planetary-atmosphere and stellar-spot models. White points and error bars are observations; colored curves and bands are model predictions. The planet in the background is an artist’s concept, not a resolved photograph.
Bullet Cluster: Webb, Chandra, and inferred lensing mass
This composite released June 30, 2025 combines James Webb Space Telescope near-infrared observations with Chandra X-ray Observatory data. Pink encodes hot gas observed in X-rays; blue is a distribution of inferred dark matter reconstructed using gravitational lensing, not blue light emitted by dark matter. The layers distinguish recorded radiation from a model-based mass map.
HIP 65426 b: Webb views in four infrared bands
The host-star field comes from the Digitized Sky Survey. Four inset Webb observations show the same unresolved planet HIP 65426 b in infrared bands, with assigned purple, blue, yellow-orange, and red colors. Coronagraphs and processing suppress the host; white star symbols locate it. The near-infrared bars are optical artifacts, not rings or moons.
James Webb Space Telescope official photograph
Webb undergoes a lights-out inspection at NASA Goddard after vibration and acoustic testing in 2017. The long camera exposure blurs moving technicians, while light painting illuminates the telescope mirrors. This is a terrestrial preparation photograph.
Launch record
Explore this mission’s launch, including its vehicle, launch site, payload, and outcome.
JWST
launch attemptOrbital attemptcompletedNo reviewed launch image5 connectionsMission dossier
Flight profile, locations, hardware, and outcome in the same reference format used throughout the archive.
Flight profile
- Launch
- December 25, 2021[1]
Places and recovery
- Destination
- Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit[1]
Mission record
- Program
- Great Observatories[1]
- Mission milestone
- Entered Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit January 24, 2022; first science images released July 12, 2022[1]
- Status
- Active science mission at Sun-Earth L2[1]
- Launch vehicle
- Ariane 5 ECA[1]
- Mass
- about 13,700 pounds (6,200 kilograms)[1]
- Operator
- NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Space Telescope Science Institute[1]
- Payload
- 6.5-meter segmented primary mirror, NIRCam, NIRSpec, MIRI, and Fine Guidance Sensor/NIRISS behind a five-layer deployable sunshield[1]
Trajectory profile
2 sourcesFollow the mission from departure through its flight environment, destination, and final phase. This sequence is not a scale orbital plot.
Mission Purpose
2 sources- Primary objectiveObserve first light and early galaxies, trace galaxy and star formation, study planets and the origins of life, and conduct infrared investigations across the solar system and universe.
- Survey capabilityUse 6.5-meter segmented primary mirror, nircam, nirspec, miri, and fine guidance sensor/niriss behind a five-layer deployable sunshield from Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit.
- Mission operationsEntered Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit January 24, 2022; first science images released July 12, 2022
- Archive legacyAfter a month-long sequence of more than 300 deployment steps, Webb aligned eighteen mirror segments and began science in 2022. It has characterized exoplanet atmospheres, resolved star and planet formation, examined the earliest known galaxies, measured nearby solar-system bodies, and supports thousands of observing programs.
Planned Flight Plan
2 sources- Development
Observatory prepared
NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Space Telescope Science Institute develops, integrates, and tests James Webb Space Telescope observatory.
- December 25, 2021
Launch
James Webb Space Telescope launches or is scheduled to launch aboard Ariane 5 ECA.
- Entered Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit January 24, 2022; first science images released July 12, 2022
Observatory operations
Observe first light and early galaxies, trace galaxy and star formation, study planets and the origins of life, and conduct infrared investigations across the solar system and universe.
- Science archive
Survey products preserved
After a month-long sequence of more than 300 deployment steps, Webb aligned eighteen mirror segments and began science in 2022. It has characterized exoplanet atmospheres, resolved star and planet formation, examined the earliest known galaxies, measured nearby solar-system bodies, and supports thousands of observing programs.
Mission Timeline
2 sources- December 25, 2021
Launch milestone
James Webb Space Telescope begins or is scheduled to begin its mission aboard Ariane 5 ECA.
- Entered Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit January 24, 2022; first science images released July 12, 2022
Mission milestones
James Webb Space Telescope observatory reaches its documented operational phase.
- Science program
Webb unfolds the largest space telescope ever launched and opens a new infrared view of cosmic history
After a month-long sequence of more than 300 deployment steps, Webb aligned eighteen mirror segments and began science in 2022. It has characterized exoplanet atmospheres, resolved star and planet formation, examined the earliest known galaxies, measured nearby solar-system bodies, and supports thousands of observing programs.
- Current record
Active science mission at Sun-Earth L2
James Webb Space Telescope's current operations and survey archive are recorded with mission-specific sources.