BAE Systems Completes Testing, Ships Primary Instrument for Roman Space Telescope
August 14, 2024 | PRNewswireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

BAE Systems has successfully shipped the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Wide Field Instrument (WFI) to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, signaling the completion of integration and testing of the state-of-the-art instrument.
BAE Systems has successfully shipped the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Wide Field Instrument (WFI) to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, signaling the completion of integration and testing of the state-of-the-art instrument.
The WFI is the primary scientific instrument for the Roman Space Telescope, NASA's next flagship astrophysics mission. The instrument is an advanced visible-to-near-infrared imager with additional spectral capabilities that will capture highly detailed images over wide swaths of the sky, offering a field of view at least 100 times greater than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, with a similar resolution. This instrument will dramatically improve the speed and scale of astronomical surveys, unlocking new insights into the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, discovering distant galaxies and exoplanets, and studying how the structure of the universe has formed over billions of years.
BAE Systems designed and built the instrument's opto-mechanical assembly, which includes the optical bench, element wheel, thermal control system, alignment compensation mechanism, and associated subsystem control electronics. NASA Goddard build the instrument's focal plane system, relative calibration system, diffraction elements for the element wheel, and the instrument command and data handling electronics. BAE Systems also led the integration of the WFI's components, along with environmental testing to ensure it can withstand the stresses of a launch and the conditions it will face in space.
"The Wide Field Instrument is one of the most sophisticated instruments ever constructed, and once it's on orbit it will provide the scientific community with the most comprehensive surveys of the sky we've ever captured," said Bonnie Patterson, senior director of civil space programs for BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems. "Our team is proud to support such an ambitious mission, and we look forward to seeing what amazing discoveries this instrument will help to make throughout the universe."
With the instrument delivered, the Goddard team will lead the effort to integrate the WFI into the instrument carrier and mate it to the spacecraft bus later this year. The Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch by May 2027.
The work on the Roman Space Telescope continues the BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems' legacy of contributing to all of NASA's flagship astrophysics missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope and the Great Observatories: the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. BAE Systems was also recently selected to conduct a research effort for NASA's planned Habitable Worlds Observatory, called the Ultra-stable Large Telescope Research and Analysis Program – Critical Technologies (ULTRA-CT).
Suggested Items
Department of the Air Force Outlines Fiscal 2026 Budget Priorities to Congressional Panel
05/07/2025 | United States Space ForceThe three most senior civilian and military officials from the Department of the Air Force told a congressional panel May 6 that “the strategic landscape has shifted dramatically” and that the Air Force and Space Force need the resources and creative thinking, along with modern capabilities, to meet emerging threats.
Proposed NASA Budget Redirects Funding Toward Mars, Ends Key Programs
05/06/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamThe Trump administration has proposed a $6 billion reduction to NASA’s budget for FY 2026, with $1 billion redirected toward Mars-focused programs. According to a discretionary budget document published on NASA’s website, the plan shifts resources toward returning to the Moon ahead of China and initiating a human mission to Mars.
SAIC Awarded New $55 Million Mission Integration Contract From Space Development Agency
05/05/2025 | SAICScience Applications International Corp. has been awarded the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 3 Program Integration (T3PI) contract from the Space Development Agency (SDA).
Lockheed Martin Completes Orion Development for Artemis II Moon Mission
05/05/2025 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin has completed assembly and testing of NASA's Orion Artemis II spacecraft, transferring possession to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team.
'Chill Out' with TopLine’s President Martin Hart to Discuss Cold Electronics at SPWG 2025
05/02/2025 | TopLineBraided Solder Columns can withstand the rigors of deep space cold and cryogenic environments, and represent a robust new solution to challenges facing next generation large packages in electronics assembly.