The James Webb Telescope makes it to the launch pad, ready for liftoff

After surpassing recent technical issues, only the weather can stop the launch now.

Scheduled for December 25th, 2021, the highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launch has moved one step closer to being realized as it has made its way to the launch pad located at the Arianespace ELA-3 launch complex at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Loaded atop Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket, the telescope and rocket were moved out of the Arianespace's final assembly building at 11 a.m. EST (16:00 UTC), arriving at the launch pad by 1 p.m. EST (18:00 UTC). Teams will conduct electrical diagnostics and aliveness tests to ensure all systems are fully operational before liftoff. Now the only obstacle is the weather, which already delayed the launch from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.

"We can't wait for it to launch. Everything is ready. Now all we need is the right weather," says Jean-Luc Mestre, of the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).

You can watch the launch live here.