The launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed but once more.
NASA’s long-awaited space observatory is now scheduled to carry off from French Guiana no sooner than Dec. 24, two days later than beforehand deliberate.
“The James Webb Space Telescope team is working a communication issue between the observatory and the launch vehicle system,” NASA officers said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec. 14). “This will delay the launch date to no earlier than Friday, Dec. 24. We will provide more information about the new launch date no later than Friday, Dec. 17.”
Related: There are over 300 ways that the new James Webb Space Telescope could fail, NASA says
The James Webb Space Telescope will journey to space on an Ariane 5 rocket supplied by the European launch firm Arianespace.
Engineers on the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, simply stacked the brand new space telescope on prime of its Ariane 5 rocket on Saturday (Dec. 11).
Today’s delay is barely the newest in a sequence of ongoing delays which have plagued the Webb telescope, which was initially scheduled to launch in 2007. The most up-to-date delay was introduced simply three weeks ago, when NASA reported an issue with a clamp on the launch car adapter.
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or observe her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
