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Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope blog is NASA's hub for the mission's launch updates, where all are invited for behind-the-scenes looks on Roman's road to launch and beyond. This flagship mission’s vast, deep surveys will help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, exoplanets, and almost anything from our own solar system to galaxies at the edge of the observable universe. Follow along to join in on the excitement!

NASA Roman Space Telescope’s Antenna, ‘Visor’ Deployed

Roman’s antenna and visor-like sunshade have successfully deployed.

Roman will downlink the highest data volume of any NASA astrophysics mission so far via its high-gain antenna, which measures 5.6 feet wide yet only weighs 24 pounds. It’s made of a carbon composite material that weighs very little but will still withstand the spacecraft’s wide temperature fluctuations. Its large size will help Roman send radio signals across a million miles of intervening space to Earth.

Animation of Roman's antenna deployment
This artist’s concept animation shows the high-gain antenna for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope deploying in space. This antenna will downlink the highest data volume of any NASA astrophysics mission so far.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

At one frequency, the dual-band antenna will receive commands and send back information about the spacecraft’s health and location. It will use another frequency to transmit a deluge of data at up to 500 megabits per second to ground stations in New Mexico, Australia, and Japan. These locations are spread out so the Roman team will consistently be able to communicate with the spacecraft. The antenna deployment lasted about 4 minutes and concluded at 2:03 p.m. EDT on Aug. 31.

Animation of Roman's sunshade deployment
In this artist’s concept animation, the deployable aperture cover for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope deploys. This large sunshade is designed to keep unwanted light out of the telescope.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

The deployable aperture cover, which is a large sunshade designed to keep unwanted light out of the telescope, was released next. It deployed via three booms that were triggered electronically to spring upward. It lasted about 8 minutes and was successfully completed at 6:05 a.m. EDT on Sept. 1.

Roman’s next major milestone is the Coronagraph Instrument activation. In a couple of weeks, the Wide Field Instrument will power on. Both instruments will run through a series of calibrations and tests throughout the rest of Roman’s three-month commissioning period. NASA anticipates releasing Roman’s first images by early 2027.

To learn more about Roman’s commissioning process, visit:

Roman Commissioning