NASA has unveiled a space observatory that will work to address questions in infrared astrophysics, exoplanets and dark energy.
Formerly known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Grace Roman Space Telescope features a wide-field tool and a coronagraph that will allow spectroscopy and high-contrast imaging of individual exoplanets, the agency said Wednesday.
NASA is slated to conduct hardware development and a series of tests for the telescope following the completion of programmatic and technical reviews in February. A team will develop engineering models and test units in efforts to validate the observatory's capacity to operate under austere conditions.
The agency named the telescope after Nancy Grace Roman, a former chief of astronomy and relativity in the Office of Space Science.