Roman telescope uses optics from reconnaissance telescope — Space.com
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which NASA plans to launch on August 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, received part of its optical equipment from an unused reconnaissance telescope. Space.com reports on the origin of this equipment.
Roman is intended to study dark energy, distant worlds, and the universe. The observatory's optical telescope module includes a primary mirror, nine additional mirrors, support structures, and electronics.
Origin of the equipment
The equipment was initially created as part of the multibillion-dollar Future Imagery Architecture program, launched by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in 1999. Under a contract with the NRO, Boeing was to develop a system of optical and radar reconnaissance satellites.
The program was canceled in 2005 amid multibillion-dollar cost overruns. In 2012, the NRO transferred two unused space telescopes to NASA, whose optics, according to the publication, were similar to Hubble's optics.
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Adaptation for Roman
NASA decided to use one of the transferred telescopes for the Roman mission, which was then called WFIRST. The project team had to replace the electronics removed from the telescope and adapt the design for a scientific observatory.
The value of each transferred telescope was estimated at no less than $250 million. At the same time, it has not been conclusively established whether reusing the equipment reduced the mission's overall cost, as modifying it also required spending.
NASA specialists had limited access to technical information: parts of the documentation on the telescopes were classified. The second telescope transferred by the NRO remains with NASA, but the agency has not announced further plans for this equipment.
