spacetoday.net: NASA delays launch of James Webb Space Telescope to 2020

Posted: Sun, Apr 1, 2018, 9:26 AM ET (1326 GMT)
James Webb Space Telescope (NASA)

NASA announced Tuesday another major delay in the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The agency said the mission is now expected to launch in approximately May 2020, about one year later than previously planned. Several technical problems with the spacecraft's thrusters and sunshield, as well as integration and testing activities taking longer than expected, caused the delay. NASA warned that this latest delay could cause the mission to breach an $8 billion cost cap established by Congress, although it won't know the extent of any overrun until the completion of additional reviews in June. Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Science Committee, called the latest JWST delay "disappointing and unacceptable."