NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched on 30 August. Engineers have now tested it and made small changes. Its main camera gives pictures nearly 30% clearer than expected. The telescope will study dark matter and dark energy. These are mysteries of the universe.
The telescope’s mirrors needed only tiny changes. Engineers moved one mirror by about one-sixteenth of the width of a human hair. Both scientific instruments now work as well as expected, or better.
The second instrument will help scientists see faint objects near brighter ones. Engineers will test how well it blocks unwanted light in the coming weeks. They will also keep working on its camera settings.
