Ball Aerospace and NASA Wrap Up Construction Of Principal Equipment for Roman Space Telescope
Ball Aerospace announced the completion of the primary instrument intended for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a project done in collaboration with NASA. The completion of this instrument, the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) Optical-Mechanical Assembly, serves as an important step in advancing the development of one of NASA’s most ambitious space exploration projects.
The WFI is a unique instrument that promises remarkable capabilities in the field of observational astrophysics. Its extraordinary angular resolution, wide spectral coverage, and impressive field view are expected to empower the Roman Space Telescope on its mission to probe the universe.
During its development, the WFI held up against a range of rigorous tests. These tests simulated the conditions expected to be encountered during launch and spaceflight. The crucial instrument has shown remarkable resilience, suggesting a high level of operational efficiency in actual space missions using the Roman Space Telescope. The WFI has now moved into the environmental testing phase.
It’s not the first time Ball Aerospace and NASA have partnered up. In fact, the recent successful completion of the WFI continues a long-standing relation dating back five decades. Other collaborative projects include the Kepler Mission and the Hubble Space Telescope, where Ball Aerospace played significant roles in tech development, systems engineering, and management.
The Roman Space Telescope, named after the first woman to hold an executive position at NASA, the late Nancy Grace Roman, is scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s. Its aim is to answer fundamental questions about the universe, dark energy, exoplanets, and more. With the WFI now completed, the telescope moves a significant step closer towards operational readiness.
Sources:
https://www.roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/
https://www.ball.com/aerospace/about-ball-aerospace/mission-history
