Summer Myatt
Ball Aerospace and NASA’s team at Goddard Space Flight Center have assembled the primary camera system for the space agency’s next-generation Nancy Grace Roman Space telescope.
The Wide Field Instrument is constructed to be capable of providing a field of view over 100 times larger than Roman’s Hubble Space telescope predecessor while retaining the same resolution, Ball Aerospace said Wednesday.
“Tools like the WFI will push the boundaries of space exploration and help us fill longstanding gaps in our understanding of the universe around us,” remarked Alberto Conti, vice president and general manager of civil space at the Colorado-based company.
The expanded image collection capability is expected to boost influx of new data that could help discovery of new planets, study of the universe’s evolution and mysterious phenomena like dark matter and dark energy
GSFC developed the WFI’s focal plane, calibration system and electronic components, while Ball Aerospace handled the opto-mechanical assembly for the instrument.
Ball Aerospace transported the WFI to its Boulder, Colorado facility to conduct extensive space readiness testing.
The Roman Space Telescope is slated for launch by May 2027.