. Over the past year, Webb has observed incredible cosmic structures, explored uncharted areas of the universe and allowed astronomers and the public to behold the stunning beauty and complexity of space. Webb is a testament to human ingenuity and represents a new chapter in our exploration of the unknown. […]
Time Machine to the Cosmos
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has been making history ever since it was propelled into space in December 2021, revealing never-before-seen details of the early cosmos. Referred to as a time machine, Webb’s powerful instruments use infrared vision to peer back over 13.5 billion years and view the earliest stars and galaxies. […]
Thermal Insulation
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James Webb Space Telescope: How Northrop Grumman Prepared the Webb Sunshield to Unfold Flawlessly in Space
How do you unfold a five-layer sunshield the size of a tennis court orbiting in space from the ground? With practice. A lot of practice. […]
One Shot to do the Impossible: The Intense Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope will orbit far beyond the reach of human repairmen, so engineers only got one shot to get it right. To prepare for this, Northrop Grumman conduced some of the most intense tests ever devised. […]
Bending the Laws of Physics to See the Farthest Reaches of Space
What if you’re trying to build humankind’s most powerful space telescope – one that must survive the intense heat of launch and the extreme cold of space – all without giving an inch? […]
Game Changer Part III: Triumph
In the Spring of 2018, questions from the media, Congress and the science community swirled around NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope program. The headlines weren’t kind. […]
Game Changer Part II: Northrop Grumman and the James Webb Space Telescope’s Confounding Sunshield
From day one, everyone involved in the program knew that when NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope arrived on orbit it would change humanity’s understanding of our cosmic origins. If it worked… […]
To the Edge of the Universe
By Natalie Perlin and David Larter Four Employees Share Their Experience Shaping the Webb Launch By transforming our understanding of the universe and our place in it, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has the potential to change the course of humankind. Webb has already transformed the lives of many Northrop Grumman employees who worked […]
Stories About the James Webb Space Telescope
Stories and reflections on building the largest, most complex telescope in history from employees at Northrop Grumman. […]
Cosmic Game Changer: Northrop Grumman and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
The story of how NASA, together with an industry team led by Northrop Grumman, achieved the unprecedented: a tool for exploration of the deepest mysteries of our existence. […]
Technical Details for the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is peering into the past to unlock the mysteries of our universe. Learn about the technical details of this ambitious mission. […]
From Intern to Mechanical Design Engineer on the James Webb Space Telescope
Mei-Li joined Northrop Grumman in 2016 as an intern. Today, she’s a mechanical design engineer on the James Webb Space Telescope, working on the mechanical ground systems engineering team. Tell us about your role on Webb. My team is in charge of designing all of the Webb equipment that’s not going to space, called mechanical […]
Why the Webb Spacecraft Bus Is in a League of Its Own
While the payload of a space launch garners the most attention, it’s the spacecraft bus that carries and supports every aspect of the mission for the life of that craft. […]
James Webb Space Telescope
As the prime contractor, Northrop Grumman led the industry team for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the largest, most complex and powerful space telescope ever built. […]