NASA nudges James Webb

telescope launch date after

vibration incident
NASA is investigating a "sudden, unplanned release of a
clamp band" that gave the telescope a shake.

Amanda Kooser 

Nov. 22, 2021 2:37 p.m. PTEnlarge Image

The James Webb Space Telescope during a test deployment of its primary mirror in
March 2020.
Northrop Grumman

The James Webb Space Telescope is a very big, very overdue and
very sensitive project. After years of delays, it was supposed to launch
on Dec. 18 and become the newest flagship observatory. The launch
has now been moved to no earlier than Dec. 22 after an incident
during launch preparations.

The telescope is in the process of getting together with the Ariane 5

rocket that will escort it into space. "A sudden, unplanned release of a
clamp band — which secures Webb to the launch vehicle adapter —
caused a vibration throughout the observatory," NASA said in a
statement Monday.
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A joint project from NASA, the European Space Agency and the
Canadian Space Agency, the telescope is at its launch site at
Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The telescope already
survived a long journey by road and sea from California. 

"A NASA-led anomaly review board was immediately convened to

investigate and instituted additional testing to determine with certainty
the incident did not damage any components," said NASA. 

The James Webb telescope is designed to be the next generation of

space telescope, able to peer back into the earliest universe. NASA
hopes it and the aging Hubble Space Telescope will operate at the
same time, but first the James Webb Space Telescope needs to
launch safely and make it through a complicated and lengthy
deployment process. 

NASA expects to deliver an update on the telescope's condition at the

end of the week.