James Webb telescope remains 'on track'

The successor to Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope, continues to maintain a nine-month margin in its schedule, says the programme director.

Nasa's Eric Smith told our correspondent Jonathan Amos that the new observatory was waiting on a cryo-cooler for its Miri instrument, but that this device had now been delivered for testing. Assuming it passes, JWST should meet its 2018 launch date.

And Eric Smith urged people to keep an eye on events over the next few months as the observatory really starts to take shape.