NASA’s Roman Space Telescope has achieved nearly 30% better optical performance than required, promising stunningly sharp views of the universe and its greatest mysteries.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is performing even better than scientists anticipated after engineers completed an extensive series of tests and precision adjustments. The work has sharpened the observatory’s focus and brought its primary instrument closer to regular scientific operations. Remarkably, the telescope’s Wide Field Instrument is now delivering optical performance nearly 30% better than predicted.

“All of Roman’s sweeping surveys will rely on the Wide Field Instrument,” said Dave Hickey, a Wide Field Instrument systems engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Many of the mission’s primary goals, like studying dark matter and dark energy, wouldn’t be possible without it, so it’s both exciting and a huge relief to see that it’s working well!”