NASA's nearly completed Nancy Grace Rome Space Telescope has taken another major step toward launch. This fall, the exterior underwent two tests—shaking and a sonic boom—to ensure a successful launch. The interior of the observatory underwent an extensive 65-day thermal vacuum test, showing that it would function properly in space. As NASA's next flagship space telescope, Roman will address important questions in dark energy, planets beyond our solar system, and astrophysics.
“We want to make sure that Novel can withstand the harshest conditions,” said Rebecca Espina, deputy director for testing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “From a mechanical perspective, the heaviest loads and stresses occur during launch, so we use testing to simulate the launch environment.”
Vibration and acoustic tests were the final round of simulations for the launch of the external part of the Roman observatory, which consists of an external barrel assembly, a sliding aperture cover and, recently, installed flight solar panels.
During acoustic testing, a large chamber with giant horns simulated thunderous launch sounds, causing high-frequency vibrations. Test operators equipped the camera and assembly with various sensors to monitor the equipment's response to sound, which gradually increased to a full minute and was 138 decibels – louder than a jet taking off at close range!
After being moved to a massive vibration table, Roman's external assembly was tested to replicate the low-frequency vibrations of a rocket launch. Each individual test lasts only about a minute and ranges from 5 to 50 hertz (the lowest note on a piano hovers at 27.5 hertz), but NASA engineers tested the three axes of motion over several weeks, breaking up the tests into on-site data analysis.
As with the acoustic tests, the team installed sensors to record the assembly's response to shaking. Structural analysts and test operators use this information not only to evaluate success, but also to improve models and subsequent evaluations.
“There is a real sense of accomplishment when you get something this large in this test program,” said Shelley Conkey, lead structural analyst for this assembly at NASA Goddard. “I’m proud of the work our team of people has done.”
The main part of the observatory (telescope, instrument carrier, two instruments and space shuttle bus) moved to Space environment simulator test chamber at NASA Goddard in August. There it was exposed to extreme temperatures to simulate the cold of space and the heat of the sun. A team of more than 200 people continuously ran simulations for more than two months straight, assessing the telescope's optics and overall readiness of the assembly for the mission.
“The thermal-vacuum test was the first time the telescope and instruments were used together,” said Dominic Benford, Roman program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Next time we’ll turn everything on when the observatory is in space!”
The team expects to connect the two main parts of the Roman in November, resulting in a full-fledged observatory by the end of the year. After final testing, Roman will move to the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for a summer 2026 launch. The novel remains on schedule for a May 2027 launch, with the team planning to launch as early as fall 2026.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is operated at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with contributions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; Baltimore Space Telescope Science Institute; and a scientific team consisting of scientists from various research institutes. The main industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.
For more information about the Rome Space Telescope, visit:
Lane Havens and Ashley Balser
NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland.
Media contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
301-286-1940
