Engineers at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, have finished evaluating the high-gain antenna for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. When it introduces by May 2027, this NASA observatory will help unravel the tricks of dark energy and dark matter, search for and image exoplanets, and check out many subjects in infrared astrophysics. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight
The finished antenna was provided to NASA in December.
Engineers at AASC and Goddard have thoroughly checked it to confirm it will operate as anticipated in the severe environment of area, where it will experience a temperature level variety of minus 26 to 284 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 32 to 140 degrees Celsius). The team also put the antenna through vibrational testing to make certain it will endure the spacecrafts launch. Engineers measured the antennas performance in a radio-frequency anechoic test chamber, revealed in the image above.
Every surface area in the test chamber is covered in pyramidal foam pieces that decrease interfering reflections during testing. Next, the group will attach the antenna to the articulating boom assembly, and then electrically incorporate it with Romans Radio Frequency Communications System.
The Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory created to decipher the tricks of dark energy and dark matter, look for and image exoplanets, and check out lots of topics in infrared astrophysics. Credit: NASA
Engineers at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, have completed testing the high-gain antenna for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. When it introduces by May 2027, this NASA observatory will help unravel the tricks of dark energy and dark matter, search for and image exoplanets, and explore lots of subjects in infrared astrophysics. Visualized below in a test chamber, the antenna will provide the primary interaction link between the Roman spacecraft and the ground. It will downlink the greatest information volume of any NASA astrophysics objective so far.
High-gain antenna for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope going through screening at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
Its large size will help Roman send out radio signals throughout a million miles of stepping in space to Earth. At one frequency, the dual-band antenna will send out and get commands back details about the spacecrafts health and area. These areas are spread out so the Roman team will regularly be able to communicate with the spacecraft.
This infographic showcases the difference in information volume between the Nancy Grace Roman, Webb, and Hubble space telescopes. Each day, Roman will send out over 500 times more information back to Earth than Hubble. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center
Producing this antenna was a collaborated effort in between the government and the industrial sector. NASA was accountable for the radio frequency style and fabrication of the feed assemblies. An industrial partner, Applied Aerospace Structures Corporation (AASC) in Stockton, California, was contracted for the final flight mechanical design and fabrication of the composite reflector and strut assembly. The finished antenna was delivered to NASA in December.