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Unfortunately, space launches can and do go wrong. Suppose that after all the delays and budget overruns, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope fails and the telescope becomes a cloud of very expensive shrapnel raining into the sea.

Are there any upcoming/planned facilities that would be able to do similar science to what JWST would be capable of within the next decade, or are all our eggs in one basket on this one?

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    $\begingroup$ All eggs in one basket. If JWST fails, it would set back astronomy enormously. You can't do from ground what this telescope would otherwise do. $\endgroup$
    – AtmosphericPrisonEscape
    Oct 24, 2019 at 22:08
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    $\begingroup$ JWST is not an intentionally cheap mission to the moon (a type of mission which hasn’t had much success this year, thus there’s been lots of worrying headlines about failed missions, which shouldn’t worry you). We’re sending it out to a quiet place, floating in space, using a nice expensive rocket. Rockets are very reliable nowadays, we can land them vertically for crying out loud. JWST will be fine. It has to... It has to. $\endgroup$
    – Ryan Franz
    Oct 26, 2019 at 3:48
  • $\begingroup$ If SpaceX does indeed fly the Starship with its 12m diameter building a replacement could be much quicker without the need for complex folding of the mirror and sun-shield . $\endgroup$
    – Mike H
    Oct 26, 2019 at 20:29
  • $\begingroup$ Heck , they even built two machines in the movie Contact. Couldn't they build extra parts and give them to the military if all goes well? $\endgroup$
    – Jack R. Woods
    Nov 6, 2019 at 2:51
  • $\begingroup$ For all (like me) reading this question in 2021: The JSWT is scheduled for October 31st, 2021. $\endgroup$
    – B--rian
    Mar 11, 2021 at 13:07

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Definitely It will be a huge setback for astronomy and science community.

All eggs in one basket. If JWST fails, it would set back astronomy enormously. You can't do from ground what this telescope would otherwise do. – AtmosphericPrisonEscape

JWST is one of the most technological advanced telescope of this decade and it is now kept safely in the L2 point and will soon start to do its work. And it is very unlikely to fail or get destroyed. Suppose if there is any software error, attempts will be made to resolve the problem from the Earth itself, BUT.....

any Hardware damage will definitely cost 10 billion dollars. Because sending tech crew for repairing the James Webb telescope to a place 1.5 million kilometer would be impractical, if done, then it will the longest distance the humanity would achieved to travel at a stretch.

And if JWST fails anytime in the future (which is unlikely) there will not be any telescopes equivalent to JWST in service for at least the next 5 to 6 years until the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope maybe....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telescope

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