Roman Space Telescope Solar Array Cleaning

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.