The Next-Gen Space Telescope Liftoff Will Be Delayed By A Week: NASA

A clamp band unexpectedly snapped loose, while securing the 'scope capsule to the rocket base.

So -- both the French and US teams will now take some time to verify that the ensuing vibration did not damage any part of the assembly, or the 'scope itself. Here's the latest, from phys.org's online magazine:

. . .Technicians were preparing to attach the $10 billion observatory to a launch vehicle adapter, used to fix it to the upper stage of an Ariane 5 rocket.

"A sudden, unplanned release of a clamp band -- which secures ['scope name redacted] to the launch vehicle adapter -- caused a vibration throughout the observatory," the US space agency said in a blog post, adding that the incident occurred while operations were taking place "under Arianespace overall responsibility."

Arianespace is the French launch company contracted to launch the telescope. . . .

We think this means the launch will be right after Christmas Day, this year -- and we still think NASA will launch the DART mission on this Wednesday morning -- but we shall see.

Onward, grinning widely, at the latest knight, in the order of St. Charles in Monaco. . . be excellent to one another.

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