The James Webb Space Telescope, which astronomers hope will herald a new era of discovery, launches on Christmas Day at the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. After three delays due to some minor issues, the Webb telescope follows in the footsteps of the legendary Hubble, but will orbit the sun, rather than the Earth. It is hoped that the device will help answer fundamental questions about the universe by peering back in time 13 billion years.