NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has cleared its launch readiness review, and has been given the formal green light to proceed with final preparations for liftoff planned for Dec. 24.
Additionally, Webb teams recently completed a comprehensive day of launch rehearsal that involved a joint effort between launch site crews in French Guiana, and Webb’s Mission Operations Center (MOC) at the Space Telescope and Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The various teams involved with launching Webb are all standing at the ready, and have practiced each step routinely.
Next, the Ariane 5 rocket — with Webb safely encapsulated on top — is planned to begin the nearly two hour process of rolling out to the launch pad on Dec. 22.