NASA has concluded the preliminary design review of a ground system that would support a new space telescope designed to capture high-detail images depicting space.
The space agency said Saturday that its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is designed to help scientists pursue studies that may unlock new findings on the cosmos, including what goes beyond the solar system. The ground system will link Earth's scientists to data gathered by the new space telescope.
“We are on track to complete the data system in time for launch, and we look forward to the ground-breaking science it will enable," said Ken Carpenter, the ground system's project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The new telescope is expected to generate panoramic images with the same resolution quality produced by Hubble Space Telescope but with a greater field of view. Roman is also designed to collect data at speeds roughly 500 times beyond Hubble's.
Roman will explore locations further than the moon after a five-year primary mission. The telescope will also support the microlensing survey to discover planetary activities taking place outside the solar system.
NASA plans to launch Roman within the coming decade.
