The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is being jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's Flagship astrophysics mission. JWST launched Christmas Day, Saturday 25th of December 2021 on Ariane flight VA256. It will provide improved infrared resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, and will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe, such as the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
The focus of the patch is the primary mirror of JWST, the Optical Telescope Element, consists of 18 hexagonal mirror segments made of gold-plated beryllium which combine to create a 6.5 m (21 ft) diameter mirror.
In the center of the patch is the launch on an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. At the top the JWST is shown fully deployed in space. The 20 stars represent the 14 countries and six academic and industry partners involved in this effort.
The logos of the three space agency partners are shown at the bottom.
