Webb Space Telescope pushed back again, won’t launch until 2021

Not concerned.

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Webb Space Telescope

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If that name sounds familiar it should. It was named after Dr Charles C Webb, namesake of the Webb golf course in BR. Most people don’t know this but Dr Webb played an integral role in the founding of Baton Rouge. Some say he was the one who first noticed the red stick that the Indians placed to ward off evil spirits.

That’s not who it was named after..

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Not concerned.

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Same.

We need to get it right for sure but Northrup Grumman is really frickin it up unnecessarily.


The problems come largely from the work of Northrop Grumman, which is building the spacecraft and its sun shield. Incidents detailed in the report include using a solvent to clean valves without checking with the valve manufacturer; the improper solvent damaged the valves and forced their replacement. In another case, managers relied on the word of a single technician that test wiring was installed properly. As a result, hardware was exposed to excess voltage.

In a final case, fasteners for the sunscreen weren't tightened sufficiently prior to testing under simulated launch conditions. Over a dozen of them popped loose, several ended up inside the spacecraft body, and two of them still haven't been definitively located. During a press call today, the chair of the review board, Tom Young, estimated that these instances alone pushed the launch back by six months at the cost of roughly $1 million a day.