NASA Completes Installation of Solar Shield on Roman Telescope

Technicians at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have successfully completed the installation of the Solar Array Sun Shield on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This essential component consists of six solar panels that will not only supply power to the observatory but also help maintain optimal temperatures for its instruments throughout the mission.

The installation marks a significant milestone as it completes the telescope’s outer structure. Following this achievement, the core section will undergo rigorous thermal vacuum and electronic systems testing. This testing is crucial to ensure that the observatory can withstand the harsh conditions of space.

In recent updates, NASA announced that technicians have also finished installing the two panels that form the Lower Instrument Sun Shade within the telescope’s inner segment. The combination of the Solar Array Sun Shield, the Lower Instrument Sun Shade, and the Deployable Aperture Cover, often referred to as the “visor,” will be vital for the mission’s objective of exploring the infrared universe.

Design and Functionality of the Sun Shields

The sunshades for the Roman Space Telescope are designed to protect its instruments from sunlight, which could interfere with the detection of faint signals from distant cosmic sources. Each flap of the sunshade measures 2.1 meters (7 feet) on each side and is 7.6 centimeters (3 inches) thick.

Conrad Mason, an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard, described the panels as “giant aluminum sandwiches,” with metal sheets as thin as a credit card on the exterior and a honeycomb structure at the core. This innovative design not only ensures that the panels are lightweight but also makes them stiff enough to resist deformation. Specialized polymer film blankets will further regulate heat transfer from the sun-facing side to the interior of the telescope.

Matthew Stephens, another aerospace engineer at NASA, noted that with the completion of the inner segment assembly, the telescope will enter a 70-day thermal vacuum test. This testing phase will assess the full functionality of the telescope and its instruments under simulated space conditions. The integration of the inner and outer segments is expected to be completed by November, with a launch anticipated between Fall 2026 and May 2027.

Mission Goals and Scientific Impact

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is named in honor of NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy, Nancy Grace Roman, who was a strong advocate for the development of space telescopes. As the direct successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Roman has earned the nickname “mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.”

Once operational, the Roman Space Telescope aims to employ its advanced thermal optics to investigate a range of astronomical phenomena. These include exoplanets, planet-forming disks, red dwarfs, brown dwarfs, and other previously unseen objects in the universe. Additionally, it will observe distant galaxies to measure the expansion rate of the universe, known as the Hubble Constant.

The findings from the Roman mission are expected to provide valuable insights into significant scientific questions surrounding dark matter, dark energy, and the ongoing “Hubble Tension.” As NASA continues its preparations, the Roman Space Telescope stands poised to contribute substantially to our understanding of the cosmos.