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A NASA engineer is reflected in the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope at the Johnson Space Center.
A NASA engineer is reflected in the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope at the Johnson Space Center.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, staff memberA full-size model of the James Webb Space Telescope seen in Austin during the South by Southwest Festival in 2013.
A full-size model of the James Webb Space Telescope seen in Austin during the South by Southwest festival in 2013. [19659009] Photo: NASA / NASA Northrop Grumman says he's taken corrective action to maintain NASA's James Webb telescope
Shortly after NASA announced that the James Webb space telescope would be delayed for one year and would cost Another $ 1 Billion, Entrepreneur Northrop Grumman "Northrop Grumman is proud of our many accomplishments on the program, but we recognize that the problems we have encountered have had an impact on the program," said the door. Tim Paynter. , adding that they have "implemented the necessary corrective actions."
The space agency announced on Wednesday that the telescope – already more than a decade late and billions of dollars in budget – would be delayed from another year until 2021 and would cost nearly $ 9 billion to develop. This announcement follows a review of the project by an independent 10-member review panel, which made 32 separate recommendations to keep the telescope on track.
RELATED STORY: Missing screws, other human errors delay NASA's Webb telescope of about $ 1 billion
Most of these delays were the result of human errors and other technical problems with Northrop Grumman. For example, during a test conducted last month, the contractor lost many screws and washers that held the telescope sunshade in place. Four ties are still missing, a problem that costs the federal government $ 1 million a day in backlog.
James Webb, successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, aims to revolutionize the understanding of the planet and the formation of stars. Originally scheduled for launch in 2007, it has had to deal with repeated delays and rising costs. The delay announced Wednesday pushes development costs beyond the $ 8 billion ceiling set by Congress in 2011, which means congressional leaders must reauthorize the project in the agency's budget for 2019
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, and chairman of the Space Science and Technology Committee, said Wednesday that his committee will hold a hearing next month to discuss the panel's report.
The officials said they believe the launch of March 2021 The date is feasible if NASA and Northrop Grumman follow the stated recommendations, including proper training of employees, better risk assessment and the creation of 39 a management position to oversee system deployments once in space.
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Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at [email protected] or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.
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