Ariane 5

Webb telescope testing on tap before setting target launch date

Technicians at a jungle spaceport in South America are completing tests on the James Webb Space Telescope Thursday to make sure they fixed a “finicky” communications interface glitch that halted launch preparations earlier this week. NASA and European officials will confirm the mission’s target launch date — currently penciled in for no earlier than Dec. 24 — as soon as Friday.

Falcon 9

Live coverage: Inspiration4 crew gives update on their mission

Four private citizens strapped into a Crew Dragon spacecraft Wednesday for the ride of their lives. The Inspiration4 mission, the first all-private, non-government human spaceflight ever to travel into orbit, blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 8:02 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0002 GMT Thursday). The crew members gave a live update on their mission at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) Friday.