Real-time commanding and data processing for high-order wavefront sensing and control on the Roman Coronagraph

July 2025 • 2025JATIS..11c1508G

Authors • Greenbaum, Alexandra Z. • Ingalls, James G. • Lowrance, Patrick J. • Ter-oganesyan, Sarmen • Cady, Eric • Armus, Lee • Helou, George

Abstract • The Roman Coronagraph Instrument will exercise critical technologies for very high-contrast observations of exoplanetary systems. The technical challenges and instrument complexity come with operational challenges for executing the goals of the technology demonstration. In particular, the high-order wavefront sensing and control (HOWFSC) system is operated with the "ground in the loop" (GITL), requiring real-time communication with the spacecraft and automated ground processing of data to complete each wavefront correction step. We present a description of Roman Coronagraph HOWFSC-GITL Operations at the Science Support Center at IPAC and detail the interfaces involved in the ground system. We describe the control system logic both onboard the spacecraft handled through command scripts and on the ground through automated ground software. We report the testing configurations that exercise prototype components of the HOWFSC operations software both completed (instrument integration and testing) and planned (future observatory-level tests).

Links

• ELECTR https://doi.org/10.1117%2F1.JATIS.11.3.031508