 Rendered model of the Roman Space Telescope | |||||||
| Names | Roman Roman Space Telescope (RST) Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Infraredspace telescope | ||||||
| Operator | NASA / GSFC | ||||||
| Website | roman | ||||||
| Mission duration | 5 years (planned)[1] | ||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||
| Manufacturer | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | ||||||
| Launch mass | 4,166 kg (9,184 lb)[2] | ||||||
| Dry mass | 4,059 kg (8,949 lb)[2] | ||||||
| Payload mass | 2,191 kg (4,830 lb) (telescope & instruments)[2] | ||||||
| Power | 2.5kW | ||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||
| Launch date | October 2026 (contracted) – May 2027 (commitment)[3] | ||||||
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy | ||||||
| Launch site | KennedyLC-39A | ||||||
| Contractor | SpaceX | ||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||
| Reference system | Sun–Earth L2 orbit | ||||||
| Regime | Halo orbit | ||||||
| Perigee altitude | 188,420 km (117,080 mi) | ||||||
| Apogee altitude | 806,756 km (501,295 mi) | ||||||
| Main telescope | |||||||
| Type | Three-mirror anastigmat | ||||||
| Diameter | 2.4 m (7.9 ft) | ||||||
| Focal ratio | f/7.9 | ||||||
| Wavelengths | 0.48–2.30 μm (Blue toNear-infrared)[4] | ||||||
| Transponders | |||||||
| Band | S-band (TT&C support) Ka-band (data acquisition) | ||||||
| Bandwidth | Few kbit/s duplex (S-band) 290 Mbit/s (Ka-band) | ||||||
| |||||||
Large Strategic Science Missions Astrophysics Division | |||||||
TheNancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (shortened as theRoman Space Telescope,Roman, orRST) is aNASAinfraredspace telescope in development and scheduled to launch to aSun–Earth L2 orbit by May 2027.[5] It is named after former NASA Chief of AstronomyNancy Grace Roman.
The Roman Space Telescope is based on an existing 2.4 m (7.9 ft) widefield of view primary mirror and will carry two scientific instruments. The Wide-Field Instrument (WFI) is a 300.8-megapixel multi-band visible andnear-infrared camera, providing a sharpness of images comparable to that achieved by theHubble Space Telescope over a 0.28 square degree field of view, 100 times larger than imaging cameras on the Hubble. TheCoronagraph Instrument (CGI) is a high-contrast, small field of view camera andspectrometer covering visible and near-infrared wavelengths using novel starlight-suppression technology.
Stated objectives[6] include a search forextra-solar planets usinggravitational microlensing,[7] along with probing thechronology of the universe and growth of cosmic structure, with the end goal of measuring the effects ofdark energy,[8] the consistency ofgeneral relativity, and thecurvature of spacetime.
Roman was recommended in 2010 by theUnited States National Research CouncilDecadal Survey committee as the top priority for the next decade of astronomy. On 17 February 2016, it was approved for development and launch.[9] On 20 May 2020, NASA AdministratorJim Bridenstine announced that the mission would be named the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in recognition of former NASA Chief of Astronomy Nancy Grace Roman's role in the field ofastronomy.[10] As of May 2024[update], Roman is scheduled to be launched on a SpaceXFalcon Heavy rocket under a contract specifying readiness by October 2026[3] supporting a NASA launch commitment of May 2027.[11][12]
The design of the Roman Space Telescope shares a heritage with various proposed designs for theJoint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) between NASA and theDepartment of Energy (DOE).
The original design, called WFIRST Design Reference Mission 1, was studied in 2011–2012, featuring a 1.3 m (4.3 ft) diameter unobstructedthree-mirror anastigmat telescope.[13] It contained a single instrument, a visible to near-infrared imager/slitless prism spectrometer.
In 2012, another possibility emerged: NASA could use a second-handNational Reconnaissance Office (NRO) telescope made byHarris Corporation to accomplish a mission like the one planned for WFIRST.NRO offered to donate two telescopes, the same size as theHubble Space Telescope but with a shorter focal length and hence a widerfield of view.[14] This provided important political momentum to the project, even though the telescope represents only a modest fraction of the cost of the mission and the boundary conditions from the NRO design may push the total cost over that of a fresh design. This mission concept, called WFIRST-AFTA (Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets), was matured by a scientific and technical team;[15] this mission is now the only present NASA plan for the use of the NRO telescopes.[16] The Roman baseline design includes acoronagraph to enable thedirect imaging ofexoplanets.[17]
Several implementations of WFIRST/Roman were studied. These included the Joint Dark Energy Mission-Omega configuration, an Interim Design Reference Mission featuring a 1.3 m (4.3 ft) telescope,[18] Design Reference Mission 1[19] with a 1.3 m telescope, Design Reference Mission 2[20] with a 1.1 m (3.6 ft) telescope, and several iterations of the AFTA 2.4 m (7.9 ft) configuration.
In the 2015 final report,[6] Roman was considered for bothgeosynchronous orbit and for an orbit around the Sun-EarthLagrange point L2. L2 has disadvantages versus geosynchronous orbit in available data rate and propellant required, but advantages for improved observing constraints, better thermal stability, and more benign radiation environment. Some science cases (such as exoplanet microlensing parallax) are improved at L2, but the possibility of robotic servicing at either of the locations is currently unknown. By February 2016 it had been decided to use ahalo orbit around L2.[9]
The project is led by a team at NASA'sGoddard Space Flight Center inGreenbelt, Maryland. On 30 November 2018, NASA announced it had awarded a contract for the telescope.[21] This was for a part called OTA, the Optical Telescope Assembly, and runs to 2025.[21] This is in conjunction with the Goddard Space Flight Center, for which the OTA is planned for delivery as part of this contract.[21]
A February 2019 description of the mission's capabilities is available in a white paper issued by members of the Roman team.[22]
During the2025 federal government shutdown, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center began closing multiple buildings and consolidating equipment, which the agency describes as a pre-planned “strategic consolidation” not expected to impact missions.[23] A NASA spokesperson told CNN that work on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and theDragonfly mission would continue during the shutdown as excepted operations.[23]
According to Space.com, some employees at the center expressed concern that the manner and timing of the closures could disrupt work on those projects,[24] and CNN reported that an internal document compiled by Goddard staff cited potential impacts on specialized testing laboratories.[23]
The science objectives of Roman aim to address cutting-edge questions incosmology andexoplanet research, including:
The telescope is to carry two instruments.
On 2 March 2020, NASA announced that it had approved WFIRST to proceed to implementation, with an expected development cost of US$3.2 billion and a maximum total cost of US$3.934 billion, including the coronagraph and five years of mission science operations.[30]
On 20 May 2020, NASA AdministratorJim Bridenstine announced that the mission would be named theNancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in recognition of the former NASA Chief of Astronomy's role in the field ofastronomy.[10]
On 31 March 2021, theNASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report that stated that the development of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope had been affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic, which hit the US during a particularly important time in the telescope's development. NASA is expecting a total impact of US$400 million due to the pandemic and its effect on subcontractors for the project.[31]
On 29 September 2021, NASA announced that Roman had passed itsCritical Design Review (CDR), and that with predicted impacts fromCOVID-19 disruptions, and with flight hardware fabrication completed by 2024 followed by mission integration, the launch date would be no later than May 2027.[32]
On 19 July 2022, NASA announced that Roman would be launched on aFalcon Heavy launch vehicle, with a contract specifying readiness by October 2026 and a launch cost of approximately $255 million.[3]
In September 2024, thesatellite bus which will carry the telescope, was substantially completed.[33] The following December, the instruments and mirror assembly were successfully integrated onto a section called the "instrument carrier".[34]
In October 2024, the telescope passed a major ‘spin test’.[35]
In the fiscal year 2014, Congress provided US$56 million for Roman, and in 2015 Congress provided US$50 million.[36] The fiscal year 2016 spending bill provided US$90 million for Roman, far above NASA's request of US$14 million, allowing the mission to enter the "formulation phase" in February 2016.[36] On 18 February 2016, NASA announced that Roman had formally become a project (as opposed to a study), meaning that the agency intends to carry out the mission as baselined;[9] at that time, the "AFTA" portion of the name was dropped, as only that approach is being pursued. Roman is on a plan for a mid-2020s launch. The total cost of Roman at that point was expected at more than US$2 billion;[37] NASA's 2015 budget estimate was around US$2.0 billion in 2010 dollars, which corresponds to around US$2.7 billion in real year (inflation-adjusted) dollars.[38]
In April 2017, NASA commissioned an independent review of the project to ensure that the mission scope and cost were understood and aligned.[39] The review acknowledged that Roman offers "groundbreaking and unprecedented survey capabilities fordark energy,exoplanet, andgeneral astrophysics", but directed the mission to "reduce cost and complexity sufficient to have a cost estimate consistent with the US$3.2 billion cost target set at the beginning of Phase B".[40] NASA announced (January 2018) the reductions[clarification needed] taken in response to this recommendation, and that Roman would proceed to its mission design review in February 2018 and begin Phase B by April 2018.[41] NASA confirmed (March 2018) that the changes[clarification needed] made to the project had reduced its estimated life cycle cost to US$3.2 billion and that the Phase B decision[clarification needed] was on track to begin on 11 April 2018.[42]
In February 2018, theTrump administration proposed an FY2019 budget that would have delayed the funding of the Roman (then called WFIRST), citing higher priorities[clarification needed] within NASA and the increasing cost of the telescope.[43] The proposed defunding of the project was met with criticism by professional astronomers, who noted that the American astronomical community had rated Roman the highest-priority space mission for the 2020s in the2010 Decadal Survey.[44][45] TheAmerican Astronomical Society expressed "grave concern" about the proposed defunding, and noted that the estimated lifecycle cost for Roman had not changed over the previous two years.[46] In agreement, theUnited States Congress approved an FY2018 Roman budget on 22 and 23 March 2018 in excess of the administration's budget request for that year, stating that it "rejects the cancellation of scientific priorities recommended by the National Academy of Sciences decadal survey process", and directed NASA to develop new estimates of Roman's total and annual development costs.[47][42] The President of the United States announced he had signed the bill on 23 March 2018.[48] NASA was funded via a FY2019 appropriations bill on 15 February 2019, with US$312 million for Roman, rejecting the President's reduced Budget Request and reasserting the desire for completion of Roman with a planning budget of US$3.2 billion.[49]
In March 2019 the Trump administration again proposed to defund the Roman in its FY2020 budget proposal to Congress.[50] In testimony on 27 March 2019, NASA AdministratorJim Bridenstine hinted that NASA would continue Roman after theJames Webb Space Telescope, stating "WFIRST will be a critical mission when James Webb is on orbit".[51] In a 26 March 2019, presentation to theNational Academies' Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics, NASA Astrophysics Division DirectorPaul L. Hertz stated that Roman "is maintaining its US$3.2 billion cost for now... We need US$542 million in FY2020 to stay on track". At that time, it was stated that Roman would hold its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the overall mission in October 2019 followed by a formal mission confirmation in early 2020.
NASA announced the completion of thePreliminary Design Review (PDR) on 1 November 2019, but warned that though the mission remained on track for a 2025 launch date, shortfalls in the Senate's FY2020 budget proposal for Roman threatened to delay it further.[52]
In April 2025, thesecond Trump administration proposed to cut funding for Roman again as part of its FY2026 budget draft. This was part of wider proposed cuts to NASA's science budget, down to US$3.9 billion from its FY2025 budget of US$7.5 billion.[53] On April 25, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget announced a plan to cancel dozens of space missions, including the Roman Space Telescope, as part of the cuts.[54]
The Roman project office is located at NASA'sGoddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) inGreenbelt, Maryland, and holds responsibility for overall project management. GSFC also leads the development of the Wide-Field Instrument, the spacecraft, and the telescope. The Coronagraph Instrument is being developed at NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory inPasadena, California. Science support activities for Roman are shared among theSpace Telescope Science Institute inBaltimore, Maryland, which is the Science Operations Center; theInfrared Processing and Analysis Center in Pasadena, California; andGSFC.
Four international partners, namely the French space agencyCNES,European Space Agency (ESA),Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and theMax Planck Institute for Astronomy have joined with NASA to provide various components and science support for Roman.[55][56][57] Beginning in 2016 NASA expressed interest in ESA contributions to the spacecraft, coronagraph and ground station support.[58] For the coronagraph instrument, contributions fromEurope andJapan have been established.[58] In 2018, a contribution fromGermany'sMax Planck Institute for Astronomy was under consideration, namely the filter wheels for the star-blocking mask inside the coronagraph.[59] In 2016, the Japanese space agencyJAXA proposed to add apolarization module for the coronagraph, plus a polarization compensator. An accuratepolarimetry capability on Roman may strengthen the science case for exoplanets andplanetary disks, which shows polarization.[60][61] Ground support will be provided by a new NASA station inWhite Sands in New Mexico, theMisada station in Japan and ESAsNew Norcia station in Australia.[62]
In May 2018, NASA awarded a multi-year contract toBall Aerospace to provide key components (the Opto-Mechanical Assembly) for the Wide-Field Instrument on Roman.[63] In June 2018, NASA awarded a contract toTeledyne Scientific and Imaging to provide the infrared detectors for the Wide-Field Instrument.[64] On 30 November 2018, NASA announced it had awarded the contract for Optical Telescope Assembly to theHarris Corporation ofRochester, New York.[21]
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