Washington, D.C. ? The Hubble Space Telescope is working again, taking stunning cosmic photos after a breakdown a month ago. But the good news was quickly tempered by NASA’s announcement Thursday that a mission to upgrade the popular telescope will be delayed at least until May.

A key replacement part that is essential because of the telescope’s failure in September won’t be ready for at least six months.

It was the latest twist in the long-running drama surrounding the 18-year-old space telescope – one that initially took only fuzzy photos, then when fixed, provided dazzling and scientifically significant pictures of space.