Description
Ariane 5 Rocket Launch of the JWST Mission captures the moment NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope climbed through glowing clouds above Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Photographed by Bill Ingalls, the distant rocket and its brilliant orange exhaust create a dramatic vertical composition filled with energy, atmosphere, and anticipation.
Webb launched at 7:20 a.m. EST on December 25, 2021, beginning a mission designed to explore every phase of cosmic history—from nearby worlds in our solar system to the earliest observable galaxies. The observatory is an international partnership among NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
Produced from NASA’s full-resolution 3,577 × 4,000 image, every available size maintains more than 300 pixels per printed inch after fitting the vertical composition. The approved stretched-canvas sizes would fall below that standard, so this photograph is offered as a fine art paper print or an 8 × 10-inch framed-and-matted presentation.






