NASA Delays James Webb Telescope Launch Date, Again

After years of budget overruns, testing problems and political difficulties, NASA’s next great telescope has been delayed again, the space agency announced Thursday. The James Webb Space Telescope, which was proceeding toward a launch date of March 2021, will now be launched no sooner than Oct. 31, 2021.

In a news conference Thursday, NASA officials blamed the delay on disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and on schedule reviews that started last winter. “Mission success is critical, but team safety is our highest priority,” said Stephen Jurczyk, NASA’s associate administrator.

NASA said the delay would not add to the project’s overall cost, which was capped at $8.8 billion by Congress a few years ago, because the program had reserves in its budget. “Based on current projections, the program expects to complete the remaining work within the new schedule without requiring additional funds,” said Gregory Robinson, the program director for Webb at NASA.

Nor would it impact the ability of the Webb telescope to work with the Hubble Space Telescope, which the agency says will now last into the 2030s.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/science/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-delay.html