The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large space-based observatory scheduled for launch in October 2018. Originally called the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), it was renamed in 2002 in honor of James E. Webb, second administer of the U.S. space agency, NASA. The telescope is designed to be a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. When it becomes operational in 2018, the JWST is expected to advance human understanding of the universe, just as Hubble did 25 years ago.