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Scientists know the universe is expanding. They also know that expansion is accelerating. What they do not know is why.

KBR is helping NASA search for the answer. The company's teams support operations for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman), which launched Aug. 30 on a five-year primary mission to investigate dark energy, discover new planets outside our solar system and deepen our understanding of the universe.

Roman will expand the legacy of the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, offering a field of view roughly 100 times larger than Hubble's and enabling scientists to survey vast regions of space with unprecedented speed and detail. The telescope will help researchers explore the biggest questions in modern astrophysics, including what drives the universe's accelerating expansion and how planetary systems form and evolve.

Supporting the Mission

KBR teams are performing mission operations from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, through NASA's Ground Systems and Mission Operations-3 (GSMO-3) contract. They’re helping to operate the telescope, monitor spacecraft health and ensure mission data reaches scientists using Roman's observations to explore the universe.

KBR also supported Roman through NASA's Mechanical Integrated Services and Technology II (MIST II) and the Omnibus Multidiscipline Engineering Services III (OMES III) contracts, providing engineering expertise that contributed to the telescope's development, integration and testing prior to launch. 

KBR's role with Roman began years before liftoff, with engineers and mission specialists helping to develop and validate the ground systems that connect the telescope to mission controllers on Earth. Teams also worked alongside NASA to develop operational procedures, test mission scenarios and prepare for launch and early-orbit operations.

"Roman underscores the strength and breadth of KBR's space science mission support capabilities," said Brian Repp, KBR's GSMO-3 program manager. "Our teams have been involved throughout the mission's lifecycle, from engineering and testing to mission operations. It's rewarding to see that work contribute to a telescope that will advance scientific discovery for decades to come."

As the telescope continues its 1-million-mile journey from Earth, KBR personnel provide mission operations support, monitoring spacecraft telemetry, assessing system performance, executing commands and supporting flight dynamics activities that keep Roman precisely positioned for its scientific mission.

Exploring the Universe's Biggest Questions

One of the mission's primary objectives is to investigate dark energy, the poorly understood phenomenon believed to be driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. Roman will survey billions of galaxies across cosmic time to help scientists better understand how the universe has evolved and what forces shape its future.

The telescope will also expand the search for exoplanets. Using advanced observing techniques, Roman is expected to discover thousands of new worlds while studying planetary systems in ways that could reveal new insights into how planets form and evolve.

These capabilities will allow scientists to build the most detailed maps of the cosmos ever created.

Roman's launch marks a significant milestone for NASA's astrophysics program, but the mission's most exciting chapter is only beginning. The observatory’s scientific campaign is just getting underway, and its data will help researchers unlock new discoveries about the universe for years to come.

Roman is one of many NASA missions supported by KBR's engineers, operators and mission specialists, demonstrating the company's long-standing role in enabling space science and exploration.

"For the scientific community, Roman offers a powerful new tool for exploration," said Nora Bozzolo, KBR's MIST II program manager. "We're proud to support the engineering and technical work behind a mission that will expand the boundaries of scientific knowledge and reveal new insights into the cosmos.”