High-stakes quest to behold light from the first stars - space telescope launched

 credit: Associated Press – Sports 

The world's biggest and most remarkable space telescope soared away Saturday on a high-stakes mission to observe light from the main stars and cosmic systems and scour the universe for traces of life.

The photograph above was provided by NASA, Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope installed, as seen at the platform, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, at Europe's Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope has infrared vision, permitting it to peer further into the universe, the entire way to the primary stars and systems. Takeoff is set for Saturday morning, Dec. 24, on a French rocket from South America. (Chris Gunn/NASA through AP)