From which spaceport was JWST launched?

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The liftoff took place on December 25, 2021, from the centre’s ELA-3 launch complex, also known as Europe’s Spaceport.

The launch site is operated by the European Space Agency and France’s CNES, with commercial launches handled by Arianespace. French Guiana’s location near the equator made it useful for Webb’s mission. Earth’s rotation provides a strong eastward boost there, allowing a rocket to gain extra velocity and reduce the energy required to reach its planned trajectory.

Webb arrived at the spaceport by ship after final preparations and testing in the United States. It was enclosed inside the Ariane 5 rocket’s protective payload fairing for launch. Once in space, the observatory began its month-long deployment sequence while travelling toward the Sun-Earth L2 point.

The Guiana Space Centre is sometimes called Europe’s Spaceport, which can cause confusion in quiz answers. These names refer to the same launch facility in Kourou. Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, and Baikonur were not used for JWST’s launch.