NASA’s huge planet-hunting space telescope likely delayed again

NASA/Chris Gunn

Setbacks in the final testing and assembly of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may delay its launch date once more. This is the latest in a series of delays going back at least a decade.

JWST is NASA’s planned successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Its huge mirror is made of golden hexagonal segments that will let it look at the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system. It will also be able to peer deep into the early universe to see the formation of the first stars and galaxies. …