In a feat of precision engineering, L3Harris demonstrated the telescope’s ability to capture crisp images from deep space.
When it launches by 2027, the NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will serve as a powerful eye on deep space, capturing images of billions of distant galaxies and exploring the mysteries of dark matter, supernovae and other cosmic phenomena.
L3Harris is responsible for some of the most important tasks to create Roman’s telescope, including refiguring the primary mirror — it just passed its first eye exam with flying colors.
L3Harris engineers in Rochester, New York, recently combined the telescope’s 10 mirrors – collectively known as the Imaging Optics Assembly (IOA) – to assess their ability to direct light into Roman’s science instruments with extreme precision. Tests showed that light moves as expected through the optical system in a precisely controlled way, enabling the telescope to capture razor-sharp and detailed images from its position 1 million miles away from Earth.
The project’s success is the result of a thorough, month-long alignment process that involved multiple iterations to bring test images into sharper focus. The mirrors had been tested individually but never together. Roman’s mirrors must be aligned to within the width of a human hair to ensure the telescope will work as intended when it begins its observations. This is no small feat given that the mirrors range in size from the 2.4-meter (8 feet) diameter primary mirror down to the smallest mirror coming in at three inches.
The IOA test is the latest milestone in our longstanding partnership with NASA. For more than 60 years, L3Harris has provided cutting-edge imaging systems and other solutions that advance universe exploration. From the Hubble and James Webb telescopes to the International Space Station and Mars Rover, our technologies have been with NASA every step of the way in pushing the boundaries of human discovery.
What’s next for Roman’s newly aligned IOA? In the coming months, it will undergo vibration and acoustic tests that assess how well the optics handle strong shaking and sound waves during launch. Later, a final optics test will test the IOA’s performance at its cold operational temperature and in extremely low pressure. The entire Optical Telescope Assembly, of which the IOA is a core component, is expected to be complete later this year.
“Our L3Harris team in Rochester demonstrated exceptional expertise in ensuring successful tests of Roman’s optics,” said Joe Westbay, Vice President and General Manager, Imaging Systems, L3Harris. “It underscores our continued dedication to helping NASA advance its mission to unlock the secrets of the cosmos.”