Hubble Successor on Track for 2018 Launch

As the Hubble Space Telescope turned 25 on Friday, NASA announced it was on track to deliver its successor telescope by 2018.

Since its launch on April 24, 1990, Hubble has revolutionized our image of space. The enormous telescope has already aided scientists in determining the rate of expansion of the universe.

Now, NASA says Hubble's planned successor will be 100 times more powerful. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been in the works since 1996, but has struggled with delays and cost blowouts.

The JWST was initially scheduled for a 2011 launch, at a cost of US$1.6 billion. When that target wasn't met, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to dump the project, though eventually a legislative deal was struck which allowed it to continue. NASA now says JWST is on track for its scheduled October 2018 launch, and will deliver imagery far beyond what Hubble is capable of.

According to NASA, the JWST will be able to peer as far back in time as the period when the first stars developed. The telescope will also be able to see other planets with a new level of detail, which could revolutionize the search for extra-terrestrial life.

RELATED: Developments in Latin American space exploration