The telescope was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from Arianespace's ELA-3 launch complex at Europe's Spaceport, located near Kourou, French Guiana. The launch point was strategically chosen close to the equator so that the Earth’s spin could give the rocket an additional push. In space, celestial bodies have a gravitational force that acts on nearby objects, often pulling them in and out of orbit. Lagrange Points are rare points in space where the forces are balanced, perfect places for stationing low-mass objects. Each pair of large bodies in our solar system generates five Lagrange Points. The James Webb Space Telescope is currently orbiting the second Lagrange point (L2) in the sun-Earth system, always at the same location relative to the Earth and Sun. L2 is situated outside of the Earth’s orbit, shielded from the sun by Earth, which makes its current position optimal for observing outer space. This is especially beneficial since the Webb telescope observes infrared light which may be felt as heat, so the sun will not obstruct its view or the images it sends back to Earth. 

The construction of the telescope involved countless innovations to make its launch mission a reality. These innovations include microshutters, infrared detectors, the sunshield, cryogenic data acquisition, and many more. One of the most important engineering tasks was the telescope's mirrors. The sensitivity of a telescope is related to the area of the mirror which collects light. As the mission goals of the Webb Telescope include observing galaxies and star formation from the first stages until now, the telescope needed to be able to detect these very faint objects from far away. This is why the primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope is 6.5 meters across, the largest mirror to be launched into space to date. The mirror was designed to be folded up to fit into the rocket and unfolded after launch. It consists of eighteen hexagonal mirror segments, each 1.32 meters in diameter. The shape was chosen due to the "high filling factor and six-fold symmetry." The pieces needed to fit together without gaps in a roughly circular shape to focus its light most effectively. The pieces are made of Beryllium, a material that is lightweight, strong, non-magnetic, and a good conductor of electricity and heat. 

Named after the pioneer Edwin Hubble, the Hubble Space Telescope is the predecessor of the James Webb Space Telescope. There are notable differences in these telescopes that make them each stand out, one of which is their locations. Hubble is in an orbit around Earth, while Webb is at L2, 1.5 million kilometers further. They also observe different wavelengths; whereas Webb is an infrared telescope, Hubble mainly observes optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. The primary mirror of Webb is also significantly larger than Hubble's. Additionally, Hubble can be serviced to improve functions and be fixed, while Webb can not due to its position at the second Lagrange Point. Since the deployment of Hubble in 1990, it has been serviced five times, adding new scientific instruments and correcting errors.