A serious a part of NASA’s practically full Nancy Grace Roman Area Telescope simply handed a prolonged thermal take a look at to make sure it is going to operate correctly within the area atmosphere.
“This milestone tees us as much as connect the flight photo voltaic array solar defend to the outer barrel meeting, and deployable aperture cowl, which we’ll start this month,” mentioned Jack Marshall, who leads integration and testing for these components at NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Then we’ll full remaining environmental exams for the flight meeting earlier than transferring on to attach Roman’s two main assemblies and run the complete observatory by way of testing, after which we’ll be able to launch!”
Previous to this thermal testing, technicians built-in Roman’s deployable aperture cowl, a visor-like sunshade, to the outer barrel meeting, which can home the telescope and devices, in January, then added take a look at photo voltaic panels in March. They moved this entire construction into the Area Surroundings Simulator take a look at chamber at NASA Goddard in April.
There, it was subjected to the cold and warm temperatures it is going to expertise in area. Subsequent, technicians will be a part of Roman’s flight photo voltaic panels to the outer barrel meeting and sunshade. Then the construction will bear a collection of assessments, together with a shake take a look at to make sure it will possibly stand up to the vibrations skilled throughout launch.
In the meantime, Roman’s different main portion — the spacecraft and built-in payload meeting, which consists of the telescope, instrument service, and two devices — will bear its personal shake take a look at, together with further assessments. Technicians will set up the decrease instrument solar shade and put this half of the observatory by way of a thermal vacuum take a look at within the Area Surroundings Simulator.
“The take a look at verifies the devices will stay at secure working temperatures even whereas the Solar bakes one facet of the observatory and the opposite is uncovered to freezing circumstances — all in a vacuum, the place warmth doesn’t circulate as readily because it does by way of air,” mentioned Jeremy Perkins, an astrophysicist serving as Roman’s observatory integration and take a look at scientist at NASA Goddard. Conserving the instrument temperatures secure ensures their readings will probably be exact and dependable.
Technicians are on observe to attach Roman’s two main components in November, leading to a whole observatory by the top of the 12 months. Following last exams, Roman is predicted to ship to the launch web site at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida for launch preparations in summer time 2026. Roman stays on schedule for launch by Might 2027, with the workforce aiming for as early as fall 2026.
To nearly tour an interactive model of the telescope, go to:
https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/interactive
The Nancy Grace Roman Area Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Area Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science workforce comprising scientists from varied analysis establishments. The first industrial companions are BAE Techniques Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Applied sciences in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.
By Ashley Balzer
NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart, Greenbelt, Md.
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart
301-286-1940
