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Hubble telescope's bigger, more powerful successor to soar

NASA Space Telescope Preview
Posted at 1:18 PM, Dec 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-20 14:18:47-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The $10 billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is about to take flight.

NASA is entrusting the launch of the world’s biggest and most powerful space observatory to its European partners.

A French-built rocket is poised to blast off from South America on Friday with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Years behind schedule, the elaborate, budget-busting telescope had to be folded origami-style to fit in the rocket. That’s because its sunshield is the size of a tennis court.

Webb is designed to peer almost all the way back in time, beholding the first stars.