Once the fuel runs out,
there is no more mission.
We have to decommission.
So the fuel is very important for the spacecraft.
It can only last as long as the fuel.
So right now we're looking at the propulsion system for the Roman
Space telescope.
Today
we put our last tank on the propulsion support frame.
The propulsion support frame is the frame that's supporting
is the frame that's supporting everything.
The four tanks seen here were each
carefully lifted individually.
The deck that supports them gets positioned below that tank.
These four tanks fuel a series of 24 thrusters
with two different sizes.
On the sides,
we have all of the engines, so we have four sets up top.
Those are our upper extensions.
We have four sets at the bottom.
Those are our lower ACS engines.
And then at the bottom over here, those big triangle pods,
those are all of our Delta V engines.
So those will do our big maneuvers.
The thrusters are so efficient in the vacuum of space
that they can be surprisingly small to move
the 18,000 pound spacecraft.
This is all it needs.
With the thrusters on the outside of Roman,
the propellant tanks will sit within the observatory central cylinder
close to their teammates, the reaction wheels.
Since fuel is limited, it usually determines
the life span of distant spacecraft.
Luckily, the telescope can also point
only using electricity.
But how reaction wheels work.
That's another story.