'We are on our way to groundbreaking science': NASA shares first test image from Roman telescope's 300-megapixel camera - livescience.com

This week, NASA turned on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's powerful 300-megapixel camera for the first time. The debut test image promises "groundbreaking science" to come with NASA already talking about doubling the mission's lifespan.

By Brandon Specktor Edited by Harry Baker , Laura Mondrag n Published 20 September 2026 In Features When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works .

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Roman's first test image shows hundreds of stars as green rings of light. After a few more months of tuning, it will capture images as crisp as Hubble's but 100 times bigger.

What it is: Hundreds of stars, captured in the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's first test image