Abstract: Effectively organizing and managing major scientific and technological projects is an important prerequisite for achieving the goal of seizing technological heights. This article takes the management documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the analysis object, analyzes its project organization and management modes, and takes the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project, which has invested nearly 10 billion US dollars and lasted for decades, as an example to analyze the pre-research management process of NASA’s major projects. NASA manages projects into three categories based on cost, risk, and priority. The project lifecycles can be divided into seven stages, from“pre A”to “A”“B”, until “F”, respectively. JWST entered NASA’s Pre-A Phase in 1995, with three independent units conducting conceptual research; In July 1999, 2 out of 3 units were selected to start the Phase A research; In September 2002, one contractor was officially selected to lead the Phase B research. The aspects that can be used for reference include: the project organizer should play a good“overall”role, gather multiple resources, and provide long-term stable support; The preparation of new projects needs to fully utilize the scientific, technological, and management talent foundation of the previous projects; The implementation of major projects can be promoted in stages using“horse racing”to reduce uncertainty and decision-making risks.

Key words: Major Projects, NASA, Pre-research Management, James Webb Space Telescope, Organization and Management Mode