Senator Van Hollen's Remarks at NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Event

Amidst all the dark news here on earth, the spectacular images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope brought rays of light from deep in the universe. The new images from the NASA Webb Telescope allow us to peer deeper into space and look further back in time than ever before. They will help us unlock the mysteries of the universe and perhaps provide better answers about our place in the cosmos and how we got here. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Maryland’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and our international and industry partners, we reached this important moment for all of humanity. And at least for today, Maryland stood at the center of the universe.

I was honored to join Senator Ben Cardin; Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; Congressman David Trone; Bill Nelson, NASA, Administrator; Dennis Andrucyk, Center Director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Greg Robinson, JWST Program Director, NASA; and so many others today to celebrate the start of this chapter in the life of the Webb Telescope. While there were bumps along the way, I was proud to work over the years with former Senator Barbara Mikulski and my colleagues in Congress to keep this project alive. And, we’re going to keep investing in this mission. I cannot wait to see what else it uncovers!