WASHINGTON -- U.S. and European officials are close to a deal to launch a $4.5 billion U.S. space telescope on a European rocket from a facility in French Guiana, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today.

The unusual arrangement involves no cash but will save NASA tens of millions of dollars in launch costs at a time when the agency’s budget is shifting to support an estimated $100 billion program to send astronauts back to the moon, Florida Today reported.

In exchange for the launch, NASA will give the European Space Agency an undisclosed amount of research time on the orbiting observatory, the powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

The deal’s near-done status was confirmed Wednesday by Aaron Lewis, a U.S. spokesman for Arianespace, a European launch company.

"We're working closely with the European Space Agency to further its goals when it comes to international cooperation," Lewis told Florida Today.

Lewis said it was his understanding the State Department reviewed and approved a memorandum of understanding between NASA and ESA. A spokesman for NASA did not immediately return a call seeking a comment on the agreement.

In November, NASA officials announced the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope would be delayed until 2013, nearly two years later than previously scheduled.

Space agency officials blamed the delay on initial budget and schedule projections that were too optimistic.

The Webb telescope will be a powerful observatory, far more capable than Hubble, which is nearing the end of its service life.

The new telescope will be equipped with a 20-foot mirror, almost three times larger than Hubble’s primary mirror. The Webb observatory will also be equipped with infrared camera equipment, according to the report.

Astronomers expect the new observatory will reveal even more about the origins and structure of the universe than the historic findings by Hubble.

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