Posted: Fri, Jul 17, 2020, 4:06 PM ET (2006 GMT)
NASA announced Thursday a seven-month delay for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) due in part to the pandemic. NASA said the observatory is now scheduled for launch Oct. 31, 2021, on an Ariane 5 from French Guiana. NASA had been targeting a launch in late March 2021, but a slowdown in work caused by the pandemic, as well as adding time in the schedule for some upcoming test activities, forced the delay. NASA said the cost of the delay should be covered by existing budget reserves, keeping the mission within its cost cap of $8.8 billion.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  AP article
•  New York Times article
•  The Verge article
•  NASA press release