NASA’s Roman Observatory Passes Spate of Key Tests
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is making significant progress as it prepares for its upcoming launch, scheduled for May 2027. Recently, the telescope’s outer structure successfully passed a series of rigorous tests designed to simulate the extreme conditions it will face during launch. This included a shake test to replicate the vibrations of a rocket launch, and an intense acoustic test that exposed the assembly to sounds reaching 138 decibels—louder than a jet taking off. These tests are crucial for ensuring that the telescope can withstand the mechanical stresses of launch, as emphasized by Rebecca Espina, a deputy test director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The outer assembly, which includes the barrel structure and solar panels, is now ready for integration with the telescope’s core components.
Meanwhile, the core section of the Roman Space Telescope has completed a major 65-day thermal vacuum test, simulating the extreme temperatures of space. This test marked the first time the telescope and its instruments were operated together, providing vital data on their performance and overall readiness for the mission. Dominic Benford, the program scientist for Roman, noted the significance of this milestone, as the next time the instruments will be turned on will be in the vacuum of space. With plans to connect the telescope’s two major components by November 2023, the team is on track for final integration and subsequent launch preparations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Roman Space Telescope is set to play a pivotal role in answering fundamental questions about dark energy, exoplanets, and the broader field of astrophysics. Managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the project involves collaboration with various institutions, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech/IPAC. As the team anticipates launching the telescope by May 2027, they are also targeting a potential launch window as early as fall 2026. The Roman Space Telescope promises to enhance our understanding of the universe and revolutionize our approach to astronomical research. For more information about this groundbreaking mission, visit NASA’s official website.
NASA’s nearly complete Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has made another set of critical strides toward launch. This fall, the outer portion passed two tests — a shake test and an intense sound blast — to ensure its successful launch. The inner portion of the observatory underwent a major 65-day thermal vacuum test, showing that it will function properly in space. As NASA’s next flagship space telescope, Roman will address essential questions in the areas of dark energy, planets outside our solar system, and astrophysics.
The inner portion of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (which consists of the telescope, instrument carrier, two instruments, and spacecraft) recently passed thermal vacuum testing. In this photo, the assembly is being lifted out of the Space Environment Simulator after completing 65 days of assessments.
Credit: NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya
“We want to make sure Roman will withstand our harshest environments,” said Rebecca Espina, a deputy test director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “From a mechanical standpoint, our heaviest loads and stresses come from launch, so we use testing to mimic the launch environment.”
The vibration and acoustic testing were the final round of launch simulations for the outer portion of the Roman observatory, which consists of the outer barrel assembly, deployable aperture cover, and recently
installed
flight solar panels.
During acoustic testing, a large chamber with gigantic horns emulated the launch’s thunderous sounds, which cause high-frequency vibrations. Test operators outfitted the chamber and assembly with various sensors to monitor the hardware’s response to the sound, which gradually ramped up to a full minute at 138 decibels — louder than a jet plane’s takeoff at close range!
After moving to a massive shaker table, Roman’s outer assembly went through testing to replicate the rocket launch’s lower-frequency vibrations. Each individual test lasts only about a minute, sweeping from 5 to 50 hertz (the lowest note on a grand piano vibrates at 27.5 hertz), but NASA engineers tested three axes of movement over several weeks, breaking up the tests with on-the-spot data analysis.
Like in acoustic testing, the team installed sensors to capture the assembly’s response to the shaking. Structural analysts and test operators use this information not only to evaluate success but also to improve models and subsequent assessments.
“There’s a real sense of accomplishment when you get a piece of hardware this large through this test program,” said Shelly Conkey, lead structural analyst for this assembly at NASA Goddard. “I am proud of the work that our team of people has done.”
The outer portion of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (which consists of the outer barrel assembly, deployable aperture cover, and solar panels) recently passed vibration and acoustic testing. The structure is shown here in the acoustic testing chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., where it was blasted with intense sound to simulate launch conditions.
Credit: NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya
The core portion of the observatory (the telescope, instrument carrier, two instruments, and
spacecraft bus
) moved into the
Space Environment Simulator
test chamber at NASA Goddard in August. There, it was subjected to extreme temperatures to mimic the chill of space and heat from the Sun. A team of more than 200 people ran simulations continuously for more than two months straight, assessing the telescope’s optics and the assembly’s overall mission readiness.
“The thermal vacuum test marked the first time the telescope and instruments were used together,” said Dominic Benford, Roman’s program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The next time we turn everything on will be when the observatory is in space!”
Following extensive assessments, the core portion of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was removed from the test chamber (as shown in this gif) and returned to the largest clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Next, it will be prepped for final integration.
Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts
The team expects to connect Roman’s two major parts in November, resulting in a complete observatory by the end of the year. Following final tests, Roman will move to the launch site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch preparations in summer 2026. Roman remains on schedule for launch by May 2027, with the team aiming for as early as fall 2026.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary 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 Roman Space Telescope, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/roman
By Laine Havens and Ashley Balzer
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
, Greenbelt, Md.
Media contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-1940
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Last Updated
Nov 25, 2025
Editor
Ashley Balzer
Contact
Ashley Balzer
ashley.m.balzer@nasa.gov
Location
Goddard Space Flight Center
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