On August 7 and 8, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team evaluated the observatory's solar arrays and a sunshield-style deployable aperture cover — two components that will be stowed during launch and deployed in space.

Engineers confirmed successful operation through a carefully monitored procedure under simulated space conditions. On the first day, Roman's four outer solar arrays were deployed one by one, with each deployment taking 30 seconds and a 30-second interval between them. On the second day, the sunshield was tested separately.

These evaluations help ensure that Roman will perform as expected in space. Roman is scheduled to launch no later than May 2027, and the team is working to achieve an earlier launch in fall 2026.