NASAs delayed and over-budget James Webb Space Telescope has finally been built ahead of 2021 launch
Construction of NASA's next flagship telescope, the beleaguered James Webb spacecraft, has finally been completed.
The much-maligned mission was intended to replace the long-serving Hubble telescope but has been plagued with issues and delays.
Named after the second administrator of NASA, the replacement flagship telescope has also run $800 million over its enormous $8 billion budget.
It is designed to study the origins of the universe's first stars and their dim light but torn sunshields and loose bolts have previously been blamed for the setbacks.
It was first earmarked for an October 2018 launch and is now scheduled for its virgin trip in March 2021.
Jim Brindenstine, NASA Administrator, said in a tweet: 'or the 1st time ever, the spacecraft and telescope have been joined together as one observatory.
'After further integration, @NASAWebb will undergo tests before it is shipped for launch.'
It is hoped the James Webb telescope will be able to stare at the atmosphere of distant exoplanets which continue to be discovered.
NASA announced its engineers successfully connected the two separate halves of the telescope together for the first time at Northrop Grumman's facilities in Redondo Beach, California.
Once it reaches space, NASA's most powerful and complex space telescope will explore the cosmos using infrared light, from planets and moons within our solar system to the most ancient and distant galaxies.
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a joint venture between NASA, ESA and Canadian agency CSA.
The giant jigsaw puzzle of assembly saw engineers lift the Webb telescope — complete with mirrors and delicate instruments — above the sunshield and spacecraft.
A crane did the heavy lifting while a small army of staff scuttled around ensuring nothing was damaged and the two halves were placed and joined correctly.
Mechanical connection will now be followed by the intricate process of electrical connection between the two sections.
'The assembly of the telescope and its scientific instruments, sunshield and the spacecraft into one observatory represents an incredible achievement by the entire Webb team,' said Bill Ochs, Webb project manager for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
'This milestone symbolises the efforts of thousands of dedicated individuals for over more than 20 years across NASA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, Northrop Grumman, and the rest of our industrial and academic partners.'
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