Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.
Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.
The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production Music
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
Complete transcript available.
", "items": [ { "id": 524021, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205218, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/RomanGoForLaunch_Still.jpg", "filename": "RomanGoForLaunch_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 524028, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205225, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/RomanGoForLaunch_Still_searchweb.png", "filename": "RomanGoForLaunch_Still_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 524029, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205226, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/RomanGoForLaunch_Still_thm.png", "filename": "RomanGoForLaunch_Still_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 524022, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205219, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/15080_RomanGoForLaunch_1080.mp4", "filename": "15080_RomanGoForLaunch_1080.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 524026, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205223, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/RomanGoForLaunchCaptions.en_US.srt", "filename": "RomanGoForLaunchCaptions.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 524027, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205224, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/RomanGoForLaunchCaptions.en_US.vtt", "filename": "RomanGoForLaunchCaptions.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 524024, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205221, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/15080_RomanGoForLaunch_4k.mp4", "filename": "15080_RomanGoForLaunch_4k.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 524023, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205220, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/15080_RomanGoForLaunch_4k_Best.mp4", "filename": "15080_RomanGoForLaunch_4k_Best.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 524025, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1205222, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015080/15080_RomanGoForLaunch_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov", "filename": "15080_RomanGoForLaunch_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is prepped for launch, and one phase of Roman is ending. It began with the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, where the community called for a wide-field infrared survey telescope: WFIRST. This was Roman’s start. Institutes and businesses across the country began developing new hardware to support this mission. At the observatory’s heart was a mirror the same size as Hubble’s and a set of 18 state-of-the-art detectors that allowed for both a massive field of view and extremely high angular resolution. This combination would allow Roman to create vast and detailed surveys of the universe unlike anything seen before. Roman also holds a Coronagraph Instrument to test hardware never before flown in space. It will be able to see distant planets orbiting other stars and is a major step toward finding life outside the solar system.Much of Roman’s hardware was developed and built in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Other key systems came from places like NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), BAE Systems, and L3Harris. Beginning in 2023, all the parts converged on Goddard. Inside Goddard’s enormous clean room, a team of dedicated engineers and technicians spent over three years assembling the pieces. Throughout the process, they also used Goddard’s testing facilities to evaluate the hardware’s ability to survive launch and space. Pieces, assembled sections, and finally the entire observatory were subjected to tests like vibration and acoustic shaking, thermal vacuum freezing, and centrifuge g-force loading.The early completion and future success of the Roman Space Telescope is a testament to the unwavering commitment and effort of thousands of people working together toward a common goal. Thanks to all their efforts, Roman will broaden our understanding of the universe and our place within it.Music: “Caelum,” Dan Thiessen [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } } ], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Astrophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, { "role": "Videographer", "people": [ { "name": "Sophia Roberts", "employer": "eMITS" }, { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "eMITS" }, { "name": "John D. Philyaw", "employer": "eMITS" }, { "name": "Rob Andreoli", "employer": "eMITS" }, { "name": "Jolearra Tshiteya", "employer": "ASRC Federal" }, { "name": "Sydney Rohde", "employer": "ASRC Federal" } ] }, { "role": "Drone pilot", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" }, { "name": "Christopher Albert", "employer": null }, { "name": "Rob Fortunato", "employer": null } ] }, { "role": "Public affairs officer", "people": [ { "name": "Claire Andreoli", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Ashley Balzer", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Adriana Manrique Gutierrez", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, { "role": "Editor", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, { "role": "Narrator", "people": [ { "name": "Jacob Pinter", "employer": "eMITS" } ] } ], "missions": [ "Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope" ], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Cleanroom", "Coronagraph", "Goddard Space Flight Center", "Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope", "Telescope" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 15064, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15064/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "NASA's Roman Space Telescope's Transport from Goddard to Kennedy", "description": "Watch this video to see how Roman was transported from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center down to the Kennedy Space Center. Includes a version with no text overlays.Music credit: “Unity for Liberty,” Lucas Napoleone and François Rousselot [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || YTframe_RomanTRANSPORT_Still.jpg (1280x720) [285.7 KB] || YTframe_RomanTRANSPORT_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [91.7 KB] || YTframe_RomanTRANSPORT_Still_thm.png (80x40) [9.9 KB] || RomanTransportCaptions.en_US.srt [682 bytes] || RomanTransportCaptions.en_US.vtt [656 bytes] || 15064_RomanTransport_1080.mp4 (3840x2160) [175.8 MB] || 15064_RomanTransport_15mbps_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [261.6 MB] || 15064_RomanTransport_25mbps_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [432.6 MB] || 15064_RomanTransport_NoText_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [1.3 GB] || 15064_RomanTransport_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [7.8 GB] || ", "release_date": "2026-07-28T12:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2026-07-28T12:27:18-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1204753, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015064/YTframe_RomanTRANSPORT_Still.jpg", "filename": "YTframe_RomanTRANSPORT_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Watch this video to see how Roman was transported from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center down to the Kennedy Space Center. Includes a version with no text overlays.Music credit: “Unity for Liberty,” Lucas Napoleone and François Rousselot [SACEM], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 15004, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15004/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is Ready for Launch", "description": "The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in September 2026. That is nearly eight months ahead of its required launch readiness date of May 2027.In its final years of construction, the observatory underwent rigorous environmental tests designed to prove it can withstand the demanding journey from Earth to space.These environmental tests included blasting the telescope with the intense sound of a rocket launch, vibrating the observatory while enclosed in a protective clean tent, another launch simulation, and placing it inside a thermal vacuum chamber where it was cooled to the extreme operating temperatures of space.Each of these tests proved Roman's worthiness for early flight and is a testament to the hard work from the entire team. || ", "release_date": "2026-04-21T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2026-05-07T15:19:49-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1203830, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015004/Vertical_Thumnail_-_Roman_Ready_for_Launch.jpg", "filename": "Vertical_Thumnail_-_Roman_Ready_for_Launch.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A vertical version of the video above. This is available for download with and without captions.Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts", "width": 1080, "height": 1920, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 14491, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14491/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Roman Hardware Highlights", "description": "This video opens with an aerial view of the complete observatory inside NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s largest clean room, the Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility. The room is a class 10,000 clean room with over one million cubic feet of space.Some parts of Roman stow for launch. Once in space, these deployable components move into their operational positions. Engineers test these deployments on the ground to make sure they will go as planned in space. Four of the six Solar Array Sun Shield panels deploy. They fold against the spacecraft to fit inside the rocket fairing and then deploy in space to make a large flat plane that both collects light to generate electricity and helps keep the rest of Roman cool. The Deployable Aperture Cover (DAC), which protects the mirrors during launch and then unfolds to help shield them from sunlight, also test deploys. During this test, lines connect to it and pull upward to negate Earth’s gravitational forces, which Roman will not experience in space. In preparation for vibration and acoustic testing, technicians put a clean tent over Roman and transport it out of the clean room. They push it next to the massive vibration tables, one of which shakes horizontally and the other vertically. A crane lifts Roman and the tent onto the tables, and also performs a 90-degree rotation after one horizontal test so that Roman can be tested on a different axis with the same table. Engineers attach hundreds of sensors and run tests of increasing intensity. During and after each test, they carefully study the data to make sure that Roman is behaving as anticipated.For the acoustic test, they push it into the test chamber where a six-foot-tall horn projects up to 150-decibel sound at varying frequencies. A thick door seals the chamber and prevents most of the sound from escaping, although ear protection is still required for anyone nearby during a test. These tests are mostly to ensure that Roman can survive the rigors of launch. Once in space, it won’t be subjected to nearly as much force.Once the tests are successfully completed, Roman re-enters the clean room and the tent is removed. After a deployment test of the High-Gain Antenna, done on a structure called the Pantheon, technicians lift Roman to a special rollover fixture that can safely tilt and spin Roman’s 18,500 pound mass. Once Roman is tilted horizontal for the first time as a full observatory, engineers slowly spin it through 360 degrees to make sure everything stays in place like it is supposed to.After the rotations, technicians carefully perform a manual opening of the DAC to reveal the mirror. In this position, they can inspect the entire optical path all the way back to the instrument sensors and perform surface cleaning on the inside of the protective outer barrel and DAC. This is also a chance for final goodbyes to the mirror. Once the DAC is closed, no one will ever see the mirror as clearly again.With all the assembly and testing at Goddard completed, the team begins the delicate process of loading Roman into an airtight container known as the CHARIOT (Conditioned Housing for Air, Road, Imaging optics assembly, and Observatory Transport). First they attach arms which will form the interior sides and support Roman. Then they lift and move Roman into the lower bed of the CHARIOT. An inner lid goes on first, followed by a larger outer lid with ducting to keep the observatory the right temperature and preserve the clean environment. As the CHARIOT leaves the clean room, Roman takes its first step in the journey to space.Music credit: “Touching Clouds,” Andre Jesus Oliveira and Andre Miguel Lopes Roque [PRS], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || YTframe_Roman_Hardware_Highlights_WinterSpring2026_7.jpg (1280x720) [331.6 KB] || Roman_HH_Winter-Spring2026_10mbps.mp4 (1920x1080) [233.2 MB] || Roman_HH_Winter-Spring2026_20mbps.mp4 (1920x1080) [477.4 MB] || RomanHHEarly2026Captions.en_US.srt [2.0 KB] || RomanHHEarly2026Captions.en_US.vtt [1.9 KB] || Roman_HH_Winter-Spring2026_NoText.mp4 (1920x1080) [1.1 GB] || Roman_HH_Winter-Spring2026_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [3.2 GB] || ", "release_date": "2023-12-26T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2026-08-13T08:59:21-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1095797, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014491/Harware_Highlights_Still.jpg", "filename": "Harware_Highlights_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Series thumbnail", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }