Roman Telescope Saves Fuel, Doubles Mission

What happened

Plenty of perfectly healthy spacecraft have been retired simply because the fuel tanks ran dry. Barely two weeks after its August 30 launch on a Falcon Heavy, the mission team announced that Roman now has enough fuel for at least 22 years of science operations.

More often, though, the ending is far more mundane. That’s why mission planners guard every kilogram of go juice so jealously, and why careful preparation in a mission is critical to long-term success.

It’s a huge gain, so let’s explore how NASA pulled it off. Time Extension The Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is named after the organization’s first chief of astronomy.

Key facts

• Barely two weeks after its August 30 launch on a Falcon Heavy, the mission team — announced: that Roman now has enough fuel for at least 22 years of science operations