NASA has completed another major milestone in the assembly of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The telescope, which is expected to reveal around 100,000 cosmic explosions and evidence of the first stars, is now equipped with two sunshields. The sunshields, together called the Lower Instrument Sun Shade, will help protect the telescope’s sensitive instruments from the Sun’s heat and light. This protection is crucial, as intense solar radiation could overwhelm the telescope’s ability to detect faint infrared signals from space.
The two individual panels that make up the sunshield are Solar Array Sun Shield and Deployable Aperture Cover. Each panel has an area of about 7 × 7 feet (2.13 × 2.13 m) and is 3 inches (7.62 cm) thick. Conrad Mason, an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard, describes them as “giant aluminum sandwiches” because their structure consists of metal sheets on the top and bottom with a lightweight honeycomb core in between.
Due to its design, the sunshields are lightweight yet rigid. Their material aids in limiting heat transfer, and can keep the inner side at temperatures as low as −211° F (−135 °C) even while the Sun-facing side is as hot as 216 °F (102.22 °C). Each panel is wrapped in a specialized polymer film, with 17 layers on the Sun-facing side and one on the opposite side.
The sunshade will be stowed for the launch and gently deploy around an hour after launch. Roman’s inner segment is now set for a 70-day thermal vacuum test, where engineers and scientists will test the full functionality of the spacecraft, telescope, and instruments under simulated conditions. With everything on track, NASA hopes to launch Roman as early as fall 2026, but no later than May 2027.
I have always been fascinated by technology and digital devices my entire life and even got addicted to it. I have always marveled at the intricacy of even the simplest digital devices and systems around us. I have been writing and publishing articles online for about 6 years now, just about a year ago, I found myself lost in the marvel of smartphones and laptops we have in our hands every day. I developed a passion for learning about new devices and technologies that come with them and at some point, I asked myself, “Why not get into writing tech articles?” It is useless to say I followed up the idea — it is evident. I am an open-minded individual who derives an infinite amount of joy from researching and discovering new information, I believe there is so much to learn and such a short life to live, so I put my time to good use — learning new things. I am a ‘bookworm’ of the internet and digital devices. When I am not writing, you will find me on my devices still, I do explore and admire the beauty of nature and creatures. I am a fast learner and quickly adapt to changes, always looking forward to new adventures.