Christmas launch of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has sparked some epic holiday memes

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By Tariq Malik
last updated

Is it a Christmas miracle or the Space Telescope That Stole Christmas?

Update for 8 a.m. EST: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched in to space at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT). Read our full wrap story here.

It's launch day for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and after months of delays, the mission is lifting off on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) in what may be the biggest gift astronomy has ever seen.

The Webb space telescope is scheduled to lift off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT). You can watch live launch coverage here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.

It's been a long road to the launch pad for NASA's Webb space telescope, which has been delayed for months due to technical issues, stormy weather and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Even this week, NASA and its partners had hoped to launch Webb on Dec. 22, with a data cable glitch and weather pushing the launch to Christmas.

Related: How the James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures
More: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launch: Live updates

The delay to Christmas has many Webb watchers on edge and some took to Twitter to vent their worries with their own takes on Christmas carols. Here's a look at some of the fun (and nervous) Twitter takes from space reporters and Webb watchers online. 

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.