Awards Proliferate Around the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA’s James Webb Telescope team is giving and receiving awards for its extraordinary technology. On November 3, six Northrop Grumman Corporation employees received NASA’s highest honors for their contributions to designing and building the telescope. Scott Willoughby, Charlie Atkinson, Jim Flynn, Andy Cohen, Scott Texter, and Andy Tao were recognized with NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, Exceptional Public Achievement Medal, and Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal. The medals are NASA’s highest level of recognition for non-government individuals.

Northrop Grumman’s CEO, Kathy Warden, was quick to acknowledge the contributions of its employees.“The dedication and commitment of these individuals represent the pioneering spirit of our entire team. From inventing technologies to creating zero gravity on earth for testing, our team built the world’s most complex and powerful space telescope for NASA, and we are all seeing the benefits of this incredible feat of engineering.”

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The following day, NASA and Northrop Grumman received the Aviation Week Grand Laureate Award for the development of the telescope. The honor recognizes the team for building and delivering the world’s largest, most technologically advanced space telescope. Aviation Week announced the Grand Laureate winners at its 65th Annual Laureate Awards, highlighting major milestones in the aerospace field.

Related:Supplier News Looks at the James Webb Space Telescope

As the prime contractor in developing the James Webb Space Telescope, Northrop Grumman designed and built the deployable sunshield, provided the spacecraft, and integrated the total system. The observatory subsystems were developed by a Northrop Grumman-led team with experience in developing space-based observatories.

NASA noted that “after an early morning liftoff on Dec. 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope team went on to complete the most challenging and complex on-orbit deployment sequence ever attempted.”

NASA explained that “the telescope’s 18 individual primary mirror segments were then brought into a precise alignment, forming the largest, most sensitive mirror system ever launched into space. Webb’s four powerful scientific instruments completed commissioning activities over six months and have begun delivering stunning insights and imagery of the outside universe, as well as planets within and beyond our solar system.”

NASA’s Award to Northrop Grumman Employees

NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal recognizes personal contributions to NASA's mission success and advancement of the nation’s interests through extraordinary service and a profound level of excellence.

Related:NASA Space Missions: To Infinity and Beyond

This year’s honorees include:

NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal recognizes an individual for significant specific achievement and improvement in operations, efficiency, and technology. This year’s honoree is:

NASA’s Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal recognizes individuals for exceptional engineering contributions toward the achievement of the NASA mission who have significantly enhanced the aerospace field. Advancing the state of engineering practice, this year’s honorees include: