My video of the launch of Ariane 5 VA256 carrying the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope from the Centre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, French Guiana, at ~09:20 local on 25 December 2021.

The location was the Toucan viewing site, approximately 5 kilometres from the ELA-3 launchpad. The 4K video was taken on an iPhone 11, with sound recorded by an external Shure MV88+ microphone.

The launch countdown is heard over the local tannoy and then the launch is first seen and then heard about 15v seconds later. The camera is turned around to see Micheline Tabache of ESA HQ, who organised the VIP launch trip (even though almost no VIPs ended up coming on Christmas Day) and René Doyon from the University of Montreal, PI of the Canadian NIRISS/FGS instrument. René was one of the few members of the JWST Science Working Group who made it there with me.

And finally, I turn the camera on myself looking decidely emotional, puffy-eyed and shaky, but happy under my coronavirus mask.

It was such a huge moment after decades of work by tens of thousands of people, some of whom were lucky enough to be at the launch that day.

Copyright: Mark McCaughrean (2021)

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