Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
NASA · Sun-Earth L2
Cruising towards L2, with fuel savings increasing the projected potential science lifetime.
At a glance
- Phase
- cruise
- Operator
- NASA
- Destination
- Sun-Earth L2
- Next milestone
- Fine-guidance system activation; L2 insertion expected around early December 2026, first science images by early 2027
- Last verified
- 18 September 2026
Where it stands
NASA activated the Wide Field Instrument, the telescope's 300-megapixel primary camera, on 11 September, and checked out the Coronagraph's components, now in a 30-day decontamination process; fuel projections allow at least 22 years of potential science operations.
The mission
NASA reported on 14 September that the first trajectory correction used about 18 kg of fuel against a 200 kg allocation. The resulting lifetime projection also assumes savings during the upcoming correction and orbital insertion. The original fuel budget covered a five-year primary mission and five-year extension.
Related
Sources
- science.nasa.gov · https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/09/14/fuel-savings-double-potential-lifetime-for-nasas-roman-mission/
- science.nasa.gov · https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/09/15/nasa-activates-romans-primary-instrument-checks-out-coronagraph/