NASA has started activating the scientific instruments on the Roman Space Telescope as it travels to its final destination at Lagrange point two (L2), a stable position in space about a million miles from Earth. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched on August 30 and is making its way to L2, where it will conduct observations without interference from Earth's light or heat. The telescope's two main instruments, the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and the Coronagraph Instrument, are not yet collecting scientific data but are undergoing calibration and testing. Early data sent back from the telescope show that its components are functioning as expected, and engineers are continuing to prepare the spacecraft for its mission. The WFI is a powerful 300-megapixel infrared camera designed to capture large portions of the sky and study dark energy and the distribution of matter in the universe. It uses 18 infrared detectors that together form a sensing area roughly the size of a laptop. Before engineers could activate the WFI, they spent about 10 days allowing the instrument to dry out and remove any contaminants that might have accumulated before launch. The WFI was kept at -85 degrees Fahrenheit (-65 Celsius) before its heater was turned off, allowing it to cool to around -225 Fahrenheit (-143 Celsius), at which point it was cold enough to activate its infrared detectors. The detectors are continuing to cool toward their final operating temperature of about -300 F (-183 C). After successfully activating its infrared sensors, engineers calibrated the WFI's element wheel, which filters different wavelengths of light using prisms and other optical components. On the morning of September 13, Roman teams confirmed that the focusing components were working as expected. The Coronagraph Instrument also completed its first major steps toward becoming operational. Controlled from the Coronagraph Commanding Center at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California, the instrument uses a series of mirrors, masks, and sensors to block the light of a distant star, allowing scientists to detect the much fainter light of planets orbiting that star. Tests on the coronagraph included warming the device to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius), a temperature typical for controlled environments on Earth but much warmer than the WFI’s operating temperature of -300 F (-183 C). This extra heat helps engineers simulate conditions in NASA’s test chambers, making it easier to test the instrument’s deformable mirrors. Decontamination procedures for the coronagraph will continue for 30 days, along with periodic checks and minor calibrations. These tasks will occupy part of the remaining journey to L2, which is expected to take about 12 more weeks. NASA says the Roman Space Telescope remains on track to release its first science images in early 2027. The telescope is expected to have enough propellant to operate for the next 22 years, thanks to the precision of its SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch and fuel savings during early trajectory corrections.