The inspection involved deploying a protective hood, conducting a high-resolution visual inspection, and verifying alignment along the light path to the Wide Field Instrument detector.

The mirror features a silver coating thinner than 400 nanometers optimized for near-infrared reflectivity, and its surface is exceptionally smooth with an average bump of 1.2 nanometers.

The primary mirror uses ultralow-expansion glass to resist thermal flexing, preserving image quality across temperature changes.

NASA has completed the final inspection of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s primary mirror at Goddard Space Flight Center, confirming no specks, coating defects, or misalignment.

The 7.9-foot (2.4-meter) primary mirror will collect and focus light, enabling expansive space panoramas and sensitive measurements of distant objects.

Optics lead Bente Eegholm said the mirror passed inspection with flying colors and reaffirmed the mission’s trajectory toward an early September launch.

NASA officials highlighted collaboration with L3Harris and noted the telescope is being prepared for shipment to Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.

Roman will be managed by NASA Goddard with contributions from JPL, Caltech/IPAC, STScI, and various research institutions, with a planned launch later this year and first light within months after launch.