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Roman Telescope Passes Final Mirror Check, Launch Set for August

6/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope completed its final mirror inspection on May 20, found no debris on the 7.9-foot primary mirror, and remains on track for an August 30 launch.
J. Scott Smith, Roman Space Telescope Manager at Goddard, and optics lead Bente Eegholm confirmed the telescope’s final view and sunshade alignment.
A shake test and camera inspection verified the mirror’s alignment and its path to the Wide Field Instrument, preserving launch timing.

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Story summary

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope completed its final mirror inspection on May 20, found no debris on the 7.9-foot primary mirror, and remains on track for an August 30 launch.
J. Scott Smith, Roman Space Telescope Manager at Goddard, and optics lead Bente Eegholm confirmed the telescope’s final view and sunshade alignment.
A shake test and camera inspection verified the mirror’s alignment and its path to the Wide Field Instrument, preserving launch timing.