On November 25th, NASA finished assembling the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the Goddard Space Flight Center. This development moves closer the launch of the telescope, which might happen in autumn 2026, though it was initially scheduled for May 2027, reports sciencealert.com.
The telescope is outfitted with two primary instruments: the wide-field WFI and the CGI coronagraph. WFI offers a view 100 times broader than that of “Hubble,” while the coronagraph permits observation of exoplanets by obscuring starlight. The telescope’s main objectives encompass examining dark energy, compiling an exoplanet catalog, and detecting primordial black holes.
Over five years of operation, “Roman” is expected to gather 20,000 terabytes of information and discover over 100,000 exoplanets. It will also search for habitable worlds using the coronagraph, which will be the first active space instrument of its kind.
The launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is slated for the L2 orbit (Lagrange point designation) of the Sun—Earth system. The telescope will utilize propellant to maintain its orbit and adjust its orientation.
“Roman” will assist in broadening our comprehension of the cosmos and addressing the enigma of dark energy’s nature. Its gathered information will serve as a foundation for forthcoming studies and groundbreaking revelations.
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