James Webb Space Telescope

Launched on 25 December 2021 after three decades of development and $10 billion in cost, JWST reached its observing position at Lagrange Point 2 in January 2022 and released its first science images in July 2022. Its infrared eye has captured the earliest galaxies formed just 300 million years after the Big Bang, revealed atmospheric compositions of exoplanets including water vapour on K2-18b, and imaged protoplanetary disks in unprecedented detail — opening a new chapter in our understanding of cosmic origins.