The James Webb Space Telescope, developed by NASA to provide the world with its primary view of the cosmos, was launched through a rocket from South America’s northeastern coast, opening in a new age of astronomy.

The revolutionary USD 9 billion infrared telescopes, coined the “premiere space-science observatory of the following decade" by NASA, was carried within the cargo bay of Ariane 5 rocket that was launched at around 7:20 a.m. EST from the European Space Agency's base in French Guiana.

The instrument weighed 14,000 pounds and was launched from the top stage of the French-built rocket located 865 miles above the Earth, after a 27-minute hypersonic flight into space. It is expected to gradually stretch to almost the size of a tennis court over the next 13 days as it voyages on its own.

The Webb telescope will navigate through space for more than two weeks before reaching its target in solar orbit, which is at a distance of 1 million miles from Earth and four times as far from the moon. As the planet and telescope circle, the sun in tandem, Webb's special orbit will ensure that it remains in constant alignment with the Earth.

Webb is nearly a hundred times more sensitive as compared to its 30-year-old predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, and is intended to transform scientists' knowledge of the universe and our place in it.

NASA together with the European and Canadian space agencies is leading an international effort on the telescope. The main contractor was Northrop Grumman Corporation, and the European contribution also involved the Arianespace launch vehicle.

Webb was developed at an expense of around USD 8.8 billion, with operational costs expected to push the total cost to over USD 9.66 billion. This is considerably more than NASA had originally intended when the spacecraft was first set to launch in 2011.

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