NASA announced Wednesday it's once again delaying the launch date for the James Webb Space Telescope, this time to March 30, 2021.
Why this matters: The JWST will be NASA's most powerful space-based telescope yet, and is intended to be Hubble's successor. The program has been beset by technical problems, delays and cost overruns. The latest delay moves the launch back from 2020 to 2021.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine threw his support behind President Trump's proposed "Space Force" as a new branch of the armed services in an interview with Axios this week.
Why it matters: While NASA is a civilian space agency dedicated to scientific research and space exploration and a Space Force wouldn't be its purview, the agency's leader — himself a former Navy fighter pilot — is endorsing what some see as a step toward the further militarization of space. Bridenstine, however, says it's a necessary move to protect the core interests of the U.S. as well as NASA's assets.
