The launch of the $10 billion James Webb space telescope has been delayed again after an incident during the final preparations to place the telescope on top of its launch vehicle.
The spaceship was supposed to be in the air on 18 December but will not be in the air before 22 December.
The Ariane 5 rocket will be used to launch the space telescope at Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. The Canadian Space Agency is involved in the project.
The incident took place as technicians were preparing to attach the telescope to the launch vehicle, which would then be used to fix the telescope to the upper stage of the rocket. A sudden release of a band took place. The spacecraft can be separated from the rocket by using the clamp band. The telescope was damaged by the unplanned release.
To make sure the spacecraft is in perfect shape, Nasa has set up a board to investigate and perform additional tests on the craft. If there is no damage, launch preparations will resume.
