Regardless of its size or past performance, every technological device can always benefit from a little help—including the very famous and large (43.3 by 13.8 feet) Hubble Space Telescope. Launched in April 1990, the telescope is expected to be functional until 2030. To complement and optimize Hubble’s performance over the next decade or so, NASA plans to launch the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the spring of 2019.

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor on the JWST project, having been awarded the $824.8 million contract in 2002. That same year, NASA partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for their technological contributions.