BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 13,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace and its partners
at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have successfully completed
assembly of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's camera system,
called the Wide Field Instrument (WFI). The WFI will serve as the
observatory's primary instrument, providing the scientific
community with detailed and expansive images of the cosmos.
The instrument will capture images at the same resolution as
Roman's predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, but with a field
of view at least 100 times greater. This scale of image collection
will advance astronomers' access to new data considerably,
promising the discovery of new planets outside of our solar system,
a better understanding of the evolution of our universe and novel
insights into mysterious phenomena like dark matter and dark
energy.
"The completion of the Wide Field Instrument's integration is
something that Ball Aerospace, NASA and the entire Roman team have
been looking forward to for years," said Dr. Alberto Conti, vice president and general
manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "Tools like the WFI will push
the boundaries of space exploration and help us fill longstanding
gaps in our understanding of the universe around us."
NASA's team at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, built the WFI's focal
plane system (FPS), relative calibration system, and the instrument
command and data handling electronics. Ball Aerospace designed and
built the WFI's opto-mechanical assembly, which includes the
optical bench, element wheel, thermal control system, alignment
compensation mechanism and more.
Ball Aerospace completed the integration of the FPS into the WFI
in June and final WFI integration at the end of August.
Ball Aerospace will also lead environmental testing for the WFI.
The monthslong effort will ensure the instrument can stand up to
the extreme conditions of a rocket launch and function properly in
the vacuum of space. Once testing is complete, Ball Aerospace will
ship the WFI to Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Roman Space Telescope is expected to launch no later than
May 2027.
Powered by endlessly curious people with an unwavering mission
focus, Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our
customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters
most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate
weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet,
deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who
defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. Go
Beyond with Ball.® For more information, visit
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About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL)
supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for
beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well
as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the
U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ
21,000 people worldwide and reported 2022 net sales of $15.35
billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect
with us on Facebook or Twitter.
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