Watch Live: Webb Telescope to Launch Christmas Morning

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to lift off at 7:20 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday from a European-managed spaceport in French Guiana on the coast of South America. The launch window lasts 32 minutes, until 7:52 a.m., in case there are any last-minute rocket checks or brief pauses in the countdown. A longer delay means the launch would be postponed to that same time on Sunday.

NASA, the telescope’s primary backer, will host a livestream on its YouTube channel beginning at 6 a.m., and on its main Twitter and Facebook accounts beginning at the same time. Agency officials will provide commentary with astronomers leading up to the launch. You can also register for a virtual launch event.

If you would rather watch the launch in French or in Spanish, the European Space Agency is also streaming the liftoff in those languages.

Early on Christmas morning, Stéphane Israël, the chief executive of Arianspace, said on Twitter that a favorable weather report had been confirmed for launch time. That meant the company could begin adding propellants to the Ariane 5 rocket that will carry the Webb to space.