Sending a telescope into space comes at a high price, for more than one reason. Launching the Hubble Space Telescope was costly because it was heavy, due in part to its massive, rigid primary mirror and mirror mount. Building the James Webb Space Telescope, let alone launching it, is costly not only due to its weight, but also the fact that it needs a massive, intricate, and expensive mechanism to allow it to unfold and then keep its various parts aligned in space.
