Hubble telescope’s bigger, more powerful successor to soar

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The $10 billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is about to take flight. NASA is entrusting the launch of the world’s biggest and most powerful space observatory to its European partners. A French-built rocket is poised to blast off from South America with the James Webb Space Telescope. The launch was schedule for Friday but has been postponed for at least a day because of high wind. Years behind schedule, the elaborate, budget-busting telescope had to be folded origami-style to fit in the rocket. That’s because its sunshield is the size of a tennis court.