Babbage: A new look at the cosmos

The James Webb Space Telescope launches this week. It promises to transform human understanding of the universe. By gazing deep into space, it will see billions of years back in time. But is the long-delayed project worth the $10-billion price tag? And, science correspondent Gilead Amit asks NASA’s head of science Thomas Zurbuchen about the mission’s impact on the agency. Alok Jha hosts.For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our weekly science newsletter at economist.com/simplyscience.With thanks to Don Giller for supplying additional audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.