Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
First you see it. A bright flash of rocket flame. Then the sound and the feeling of launch rumbles in your chest, as a telescope you’ve spent your whole career with begins a difficult journey of more than one million miles.
NASA videographer Sophia Roberts spent years getting up close and personal with Webb, watching as it transformed from discrete elemental materials into the scientific wonder we know today. She was there to document Webb’s launch, the culmination of years chasing the telescope around the country.
Her perspective on Webb, seen through the lenses of dozens of cameras, helped shape the public’s view of the telescope. Now, Sophia’s insider look is available in a brand new format, NASA’s Cosmic Dawn documentary, available to stream:
plus.nasa.gov/video/cosmic-dawn-the-untold-story-of-the-james-webb-space-telescope and
youtube.com/watch?v=uSMGENDH_QI
Video description:
0:00: Rocket set to launch.
0:01: Montage of rocket launch: boosters emitting fire, wide angles of rocket, and close-ups of rocket parts. “A NASA+ Original” appears, followed by “Cosmic Dawn, The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope.”
0:14: Several people applaud and film as they watch the rocket launch from a distance.
0:15: Four wide shots of the rocket launching.
0:28: Close-up of Sophia talking to camera.
0:31: Sophia talking to camera. “Sophia Roberts, NASA Videographer” appears.
0:41: Close-up of Sophia talking to camera.
0:43: Shot following a rocket launching through the clouds.
0:48: Black screen fades into animation of Webb assembling against a starry space background. “A NASA+ Original,” followed by “Cosmic Dawn, The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope” fade in.
0:53: All text fades away, replaced by “Watch Now” and “NASA+.”
Credit: NASA
Ashlee Nichols (eMITS): Producer
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14834. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14834. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAGoddard
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram: instagram.com/nasagoddard
· X: twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gsfc
First you see it. A bright flash of rocket flame. Then the sound and the feeling of launch rumbles in your chest, as a telescope you’ve spent your whole career with begins a difficult journey of more than one million miles.
NASA videographer Sophia Roberts spent years getting up close and personal with Webb, watching as it transformed from discrete elemental materials into the scientific wonder we know today. She was there to document Webb’s launch, the culmination of years chasing the telescope around the country.
Her perspective on Webb, seen through the lenses of dozens of cameras, helped shape the public’s view of the telescope. Now, Sophia’s insider look is available in a brand new format, NASA’s Cosmic Dawn documentary, available to stream:
plus.nasa.gov/video/cosmic-dawn-the-untold-story-of-the-james-webb-space-telescope and
youtube.com/watch?v=uSMGENDH_QI
Video description:
0:00: Rocket set to launch.
0:01: Montage of rocket launch: boosters emitting fire, wide angles of rocket, and close-ups of rocket parts. “A NASA+ Original” appears, followed by “Cosmic Dawn, The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope.”
0:14: Several people applaud and film as they watch the rocket launch from a distance.
0:15: Four wide shots of the rocket launching.
0:28: Close-up of Sophia talking to camera.
0:31: Sophia talking to camera. “Sophia Roberts, NASA Videographer” appears.
0:41: Close-up of Sophia talking to camera.
0:43: Shot following a rocket launching through the clouds.
0:48: Black screen fades into animation of Webb assembling against a starry space background. “A NASA+ Original,” followed by “Cosmic Dawn, The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope” fade in.
0:53: All text fades away, replaced by “Watch Now” and “NASA+.”
Credit: NASA
Ashlee Nichols (eMITS): Producer
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14834. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14834. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAGoddard
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram: instagram.com/nasagoddard
· X: twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gsfc
