NASA's space telescope Nancy Grace Roman is complete
NASA has completed the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope. The versatile instrument is scheduled to fly into space in 2027.
Artist's impression of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
(Image: GSFC/SVS)
The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has completed a new space telescope, according to its own statements. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is intended to search for clues about dark matter, among other things. The launch is planned for 2027.
The team at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has attached the telescope mirror and the two instruments to the instrument carrier, NASA announced. The payload can now be integrated into the spacecraft. A few months ago, it still looked like Roman would fall victim to the US government's budget cuts.
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The spacecraft comprises the service module and the systems for power and communication. She expects that to happen before the end of the year, said Jody Dawson, the telescope's systems engineer. "We are right in the middle of an exciting phase of mission preparation."
Named after the first NASA chief astronomer
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, or Roman for short, is named after NASA's first chief astronomer. Its primary mirror has a diameter of 2.4 meters, the same size as that of the Hubble Telescope, but significantly smaller than that of the James Webb Space Telescope, which is 6.5 meters.
The mirror is intended to focus light and reflect it onto the instruments. Roman has two of them: The primary instrument is a camera that operates in the infrared range. This Wide-Field Instrument (WFI) has 18 sensors and a resolution of 300.8 megapixels.
The second is also a camera: The Roman Coronograph is designed to image exoplanets that are much fainter than their stars. To be able to glimpse these planets, the instrument has a series of filters and other systems that block out the starlight.
Many scientific tasks
The space telescope is intended to carry out many scientific observations: In addition to exoplanets, astronomers want to use it to detect stars, galaxies, and black holes. They also want to gain insights into dark energy and dark matter.
"It would be quicker to list the astronomy topics Roman won’t be able to address than those it will," said Julie McEnery, lead Roman scientist. "We’ve never had a tool like this before. Roman will revolutionize the way we do astronomy."
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The telescope is scheduled to be ready for launch in the fall of 2026 and will fly into space by May 2027 at the latest.
(wpl)
