tech
December 17, 2025
The $4.3 billion space telescope Trump tried to cancel is now complete
“We’re going to be making 3D movies of what is going on in the Milky Way galaxy.”
TL;DR
- The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has completed assembly and is on track for launch as early as fall 2026.
- Roman's primary mirror is smaller than Webb's but provides a significantly wider field of view, allowing for a broader cosmic survey.
- The telescope is equipped with advanced detectors for its Wide Field Instrument, creating a large, sensitive camera for visible and near-infrared light.
- A second instrument, the Roman Coronagraph, is designed to block starlight and image exoplanets more effectively than previous instruments.
- Roman's scientific goals include studying dark matter and dark energy, conducting a census of stars and galaxies, and potentially discovering thousands of exoplanets.
- The mission has faced budget challenges and political opposition but has remained on schedule due to careful planning and execution.
- Rigorous testing has been completed, with final preparations including functional tests and shipment to Kennedy Space Center for launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
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