NASA powers up Roman telescope's 300-megapixel camera

NASA has successfully powered up the Wide Field Instrument, the 300-megapixel infrared camera aboard the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Its 18 detectors were cooled to −143 °C and the calibration system, element wheel and focusing mechanism were tested; first science images are expected by early 2027.

• WFI is a 300-megapixel IR camera with 18 detectors covering a laptop-screen-sized area
• A single WFI image spans more sky than the apparent size of a full moon
• Detectors were cooled to −143 °C, with a final operating temperature near −183 °C
• The Coronagraph Instrument passed system checks; first Roman images due by early 2027