CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is shooting for next Friday — Christmas Eve — to launch its newest space telescope. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed Friday that the James Webb Space Telescope will attempt to blast off on Dec. 24. The $10 billion Webb — considered the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope — was supposed to soar Saturday, but was jolted by a clamp during launch preparations, resulting in a four-day delay. U.S. and European space officials signed off Friday on the launch date, following one last round of testing. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.

Source: New York Times December 18, 2021 04:01 UTC