A few weeks ago, technicians inside a cavernous clean room in Maryland made the final connection to complete assembly of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Parts of this new observatory, named for NASA’s first chief astronomer, recently completed a spate of tests to ensure it can survive the shaking and intense sound of a rocket launch. Engineers placed the core of the telescope inside a thermal vacuum chamber, where it withstood the airless conditions and extreme temperature swings it will see in space.
Then, on November 25, teams at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, joined the inner and outer portions of the Roman Space Telescope. With this milestone, NASA declared the observatory complete and on track for launch as soon as fall 2026.
It’s great to see such significant advancements in space exploration! The completion of the telescope is an exciting milestone, and it will be interesting to see the discoveries it brings. Kudos to everyone involved in this project!
Absolutely, it’s exciting to witness these advancements! The telescope’s ability to capture deeper views into the universe could potentially lead to groundbreaking discoveries about the origins of galaxies and stars. It’s a fascinating time for astronomy!