NASA's James Webb Space Telescope arrives in French Guiana ahead of Dec. 18 launch - Space.com

The earthly journeys of NASA's next big space observatory are nearly at an end.

A cargo ship carrying the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope arrived in French Guiana on Tuesday (Oct. 12), wrapping up a 16-day ocean voyage that covered 5,800 miles (9,300 kilometers), NASA officials said.

Related: Building the James Webb Space Telescope (photos).

After liftoff, Webb will head toward the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 2, a gravitationally stable spot in space about 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) from its home planet.

"The James Webb Space Telescope is a colossal achievement, built to transform our view of the universe and deliver amazing science," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement today. .

—Photos: Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope.

—James Webb Space Telescope passes key review ahead of launch.

—NASA's James Webb Space Telescope unfolds its giant mirror for last time ahead of launch.

Assembly of the big observatory finally began in 2013 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

In 2017, the telescope was shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for cryogenic testing!