Dutch scientists are developing the technology — effectively the ‘eyes’ — for a NASA space mission planned for 2021 the Telegraaf said on Tuesday.

The Netherlands Institute for Space Research and Delft university are working on the detector technology for the balloon telescope GUSTO which will provide a picture of the full life cycle of a star, the paper said.

The telescope will operate from the outer reaches of space and take measurements with an infrared camera. The measurements will provide more insight into the birth and death of stars in large parts of the Milky Way.

A number of American universities are providing the remainder of techniques as well as the gondola in which all instruments will be mounted. The launch will take place at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica.