The launch took place from the European Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana, at 1220 UTC on 25 December.
The Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket performed as scheduled, shedding its 2 boosters and payload fairing, then jettisoning its main stage and finally fully separating from the payload at ~27 minutes into the flight - releasing the observatory at an altitude of ~870 miles (1,400 km).
By day 2 we have seen automatic deployment of the solar panels to provide power, and the high-rate antenna for transmission of data back to Earth. This will be followed by deployment of the huge mirror.
With a couple of course corrections, after ~29 days from launch the telescope should be in its desired orbit at a range of ~1 million miles (1.6 million km) from Earth.
The sensor comprises 18 hexagonal mirrors, making a massive reflector of 21 ft (6.5 m) diameter. The mirrors require 132 actuators and motors and complex back-end software to form the final mirror, and the whole device had to be folded to fit into the payload fairing - and unfolded in space.
Using infrared sensors, the telescope will become the largest and most powerful observatory ever built, allowing astronomers to investigate the farthest parts of the universe.
President Biden offered his congratulations to the team: ”Congratulations NASA and all who made today's launch of the James Webb telescope possible. Webb is a shining example of the power of what we can accomplish when we dream big. We've always known that this project would be a risky endeavour, but with big risk comes big rewards."
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