NASA's upcoming James Webb telescope delayed once more

Once again, the launch of the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been met with delays.

After being rescheduled to Christmas Eve, the launch of the JWST is now due for the morning of Christmas Day. Poor weather has been forecasted at the Guiana Space Center in South America, where the telescope will launch from, hence the delay.

The launch window opens at 7:20 a.m. EST (12:20 UTC) and lasts for 32 minutes. Initially slated for 7:20 a.m. EST on Friday, the delay extends the long-awaited launch by another 24 hours. Rain is not generally a concern for the Ariane 5 launch, but the possibility of high-altitude winds and increased risk of lightning gave cause for pause.

NASA and ESA officials have scheduled a briefing regarding the weather on Wednesday, December 22nd, establishing if the team can proceed with the two-hour rollout procedure on Thursday for a Saturday launch. The launch window will open at 9:20 a.m. local time in French Guiana.