NASA’s Roman telescope completes successful coronagraph tests

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has successfully completed initial validation tests of its fine-guidance system and coronagraph instrument. During testing conducted in late September, the telescope demonstrated exceptional pointing stability, maintaining accuracy better than 1/100,000 of a degree. This level of precision is comparable to aiming a laser at a coin from approximately 150 to 230 miles away.

The coronagraph is designed to block intense starlight, allowing the telescope to directly observe much fainter objects such as exoplanets and surrounding dust or gas disks. During the testing phase, the instrument successfully observed stars within the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Unlike other space telescopes that use a separate guider, the Roman telescope utilizes an innovative approach by using spectral information from its own scientific instruments to maintain positioning. Engineers expect to further refine the guidance system to enhance stability during long-duration observations.