text: During its 25 years in space, Hubble has provided the world with unprecedented views of the universe. But to help it find alien life, Nasa needs an even more powerful tool to peer back into the depths of our cosmos. The agency hopes to do this with the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be 100 times more potent than Hubble, and will be able to see back to 200 million years after the Big Bang. The James Webb Space Telescope will be 100 times more potent than Hubble, and will be able to see back to 200 million years after the Big Bang. Pictured are Nasa scientists completing a series of cryogenic tests on six James Webb Space Telescope beryllium mirror segments . Nasa describes the telescope as a 'powerful time machine with infrared vision that will peer back over 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies forming out of the darkness of the early universe.' The project has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers for its ballooning costs - now at about $8.8 billion, far higher than the initial estimate of $3.5 bn (£2.33 bn). But Nasa has promised to keep the next-generation telescope on track for its October 2018 launch. 'What the Webb will really be doing is looking at the first galaxies of the universe,' Webb telescope observatory project scientist Mark Clampin. 'We will also be able, with these capabilities, to look in very dark parts of the universe where stars are being born.' Nasa describes the telescope as a 'powerful time machine with infrared vision that will peer back over 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies forming out of the darkness of the early universe' The James Webb Space Telescope will be 100 times more potent than Hubble, and will be able to see back to 200 million years after the Big Bang. Pictured is an artist's impression . The space telescope will weigh 6.4 tons. JWST's main mirror will be 21ft (6.5 metres) in diameter, three times as large as Hubble's . Inside a massive room that is partially closed off from view, in clean room where no dust can harm the telescope, a team of engineers dressed in white, resembling surgeons, work on building the JWST. The space telescope will weigh 6.4 tons. JWST's main mirror will be 21ft (6.5 metres) in diameter, three times as large as Hubble's. There at least 200 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy – and now Nasa officials claim we could be on the verge of finding life on one of them. During a talk in Washington earlier this month, the space agency announced that humanity is likely to encounter extra-terrestrials within a decade. 'I believe we are going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth in the next decade and definitive evidence in the next 10 to 20 years,' Ellen Stofan, chief scientist for Nasa, said. 'We know where to look, we know how to look, and in most cases we have the technology.' Jeffery Newmark, interim director of heliophysics at the agency, added: 'It's definitely not an if, it's a when.' 'We are not talking about little green men,' said Stofan. 'We are talking about little microbes.' The announcement has been prompted by the recent discovery of water by Nasa in surprising places. Jim Green, director of planetary science at Nasa, noted that a recent study of the Martian atmosphere found 50 per cent of the planet's northern hemisphere once had oceans a mile deep. A joint project of Nasa, the European and canadian space agencies, JWST will carry four instruments, including cameras and spectrometers that can capture extremely faint signals. Infra-red capability will help it observe distant celestial bodies, and its camera shutter will be able to remain open for long periods, explained Matt Greenhouse, JWST project scientist for the science instrument payload. 'The Webb will have 70 times the light-gathering capacity of Hubble. So the combination of the large size and the infra-red capabilities will allow us to observe this epic of the universe past,' he said in an interview. Even more, the telescope should further the search for life elsewhere in the universe by opening a new window on planets outside the solar system  that might have water. Already, Nasa's Kepler Space telescope, launched in 2009, has helped astronomers identify thousands of exoplanets. JWST is expected to propel that research even further. 'Webb is quite big enough to have a high probability of finding bio signatures in the atmosphere of exoplanets, evidence of life,' Greenhouse said. 'We have sensors on board, equipment on board that will enable us to study the atmosphere of exoplanets spectroscopically. So we will be able to understand the composition of those atmospheres,' he added. 'We can make big progress in the search for life.' Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which circles the Earth, the JWST will go even further, to a place called L2, for LaGrange Point, 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) away in space. That distance will keep the telescope cold, prevent it from being blinded by its own infra-red light and shelter it from radiation. 'It will follow the Earth around the sun over the course of the year. So it's in a sun center orbit instead of an Earth center orbit,' said Greenhouse. The heavy telescope is scheduled to launch atop an Ariane 5 rocket, made by the European Space Agency, from French Guiana in October 2018. 'Just as Hubble rewrote all the textbooks, Webb will rewrite it again,' said Greenhouse. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which circles the Earth, the JWST will go even further, to a place called L2, for LaGrange Point, 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) away in space . The distance will keep the telescope cold, prevent it from being blinded by its own infra-red light and shelter it from radiation . The heavy telescope, pictured here during testing, is scheduled to launch atop an Ariane 5 rocket, made by the European Space Agency, from French Guiana in October 2018 .
target: Nasa is on track to launch the James Webb telescope in three years .
  Telescope will be able to see back to 200 million years after the Big Bang .
  It will be 100 times more powerful than Hubble with mirrors 3 times larger .
  Astronomers hope the telescope will help further the search for alien life .