When it is deployed in 2027, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will provide new insights into the cosmos. As the successor to the venerable Hubble mission, it will rely on a 2.4 m (7.9 ft) wide primary mirror and a field of view 100 times greater than its predecessor. This next-generation observatory will join the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), using its high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments to view objects too faint, cool, or distant for other telescopes to observe. The mission is currently in the System Assembly, Integration and Test, and Launch phase of development at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
On June 14th and 16th, technicians completed one of the final steps in the assembly process by installing the Solar Array Sun Shield. This shield comprises six panels covered in solar cells that will power the observatory throughout its mission. While the two central panels will remain fixed to the observatory's outer shell, the other four will deploy and align with the central ones once Roman is in space. Similar to Webb's Sunshield, the orientation of the panels will also shade the observatory, keeping its instruments cool by blocking external heat sources.
This is essential in infrared astronomy, especially where observations of very distant objects (like the first galaxies in the Universe) are concerned. Said Jack Marshall, the Solar Array Sun Shield lead at NASA Goddard:
At this point, the observatory is about 90% complete. We just need to join two large assemblies, and then we'll run the whole Roman observatory through a series of tests. We're currently on track for launch several months earlier than the promised date of no later than May 2027.
With the panels installed, the outer section of the Roman Space Telescope is complete, and tests will commence on the core section. This next step will see the technicians test deploy the solar panels and the observatory's deployable aperture cover (aka. the "visor"). They will also be assessing the core section's electronics and conducting thermal vacuum tests to ensure that the observatory can operate in the harsh space environment. By November, the teams plan to integrate the inner and outer sections of the observatory in preparation for pre-launch tests. The team is preparing for a launch that could take place as early as Fall 2026.
As Hubble's successor and named in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first Chief of Astronomy in the Office of Space Science, the observatory is affectionately nicknamed the "mother of the Hubble Space Telescope." Once it becomes operational, Roman will investigate exoplanets, planet-forming disks, and distant galaxies to measure the rate at which the Universe is expanding (the Hubble Constant). In so doing, it will shed light on the mystery of Dark Energy and other unresolved questions in astronomy and cosmology.
It will also work with the JWST to identify exoplanets for follow-up investigations using Webb's advanced optics and spectrometers. So, in addition to investigating the deepest mysteries of cosmic history and astrophysics, Roman will help complete the census of planets in our galaxy and assist in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Further Reading: NASA
