Updated
Updated · Science@NASA · Aug 31
NASA's Roman Completes 3-Minute Course-Correction Burn Toward L2 Orbit
Updated
Updated · Science@NASA · Aug 31

NASA's Roman Completes 3-Minute Course-Correction Burn Toward L2 Orbit

3 articles · Updated · Science@NASA · Aug 31

Summary

  • At 12:02 p.m. EDT, NASA’s Roman telescope completed an approximately 3-minute mid-course correction burn, marking the first of two planned trajectory adjustments on its way to L2.
  • The maneuver was designed to keep Roman on course for its final orbit around the Sun-Earth second Lagrange point, where the observatory will operate after orbital insertion.
  • A second correction burn is planned later this week if needed, while orbital insertion is scheduled about 100 days after launch.
  • Once established around L2, Roman is expected to need only periodic station-keeping burns roughly every 28 days.

Insights

As Roman races toward a crowded orbit, what hidden dangers lurk in the unstable gravity of Lagrange Point 2?
Will Roman's massive 300-megapixel camera uncover the universe's darkest secrets, or will the unprecedented data overwhelm our systems?
Why did NASA repurpose a classified military spy mirror to hunt for dark matter at the edge of Earth's reach?