Federal Independent Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal independent agencies
Featured Stories
SBA Orders All 8(a) Participants to Provide Financial Records
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Small Business Administration posted the following news release on Dec. 5, 2025:
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SBA Orders All 8(a) Participants to Provide Financial Records
Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued letters to all contractors within the 8(a) Business Development Program, requiring them to produce financial records as part of a comprehensive effort to protect taxpayers and legitimate small businesses by rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse. All 4,300 8(a) participants are mandated to provide financial documents for the last three fiscal years, including bank
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Small Business Administration posted the following news release on Dec. 5, 2025:
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SBA Orders All 8(a) Participants to Provide Financial Records
Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued letters to all contractors within the 8(a) Business Development Program, requiring them to produce financial records as part of a comprehensive effort to protect taxpayers and legitimate small businesses by rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse. All 4,300 8(a) participants are mandated to provide financial documents for the last three fiscal years, including bankstatements, financial statements, general ledgers, payroll registers, contracting and subcontracting agreements, and employment records. Firms that fail to comply by January 5, 2025 may lose their eligibility to participate in the 8(a) Program and could face further investigative or remedial actions.
"There is mounting evidence that the 8(a) Program designed for 'socially and economically disadvantaged' businesses went from being a targeted program to a pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse and fraud - especially during the Biden Administration, which aggressively prioritized DEI over merit in federal contracting," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "Today, as part of the SBA's effort to protect taxpayer dollars and restore program integrity, we're requiring all 8(a) firms to provide basic financial documentation for SBA review. As our previously-announced government-wide audit continues, we're committed to thoroughly reviewing every federal contract, contracting officer, and contractor - while working alongside federal law enforcement and other agencies to deliver accountability for taxpayers."
The request comes as recent U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations and media reports have exposed a growing body of evidence of misconduct within the 8(a) Program, adding to years of credible concerns and whistleblower reports indicating that the program is a vehicle for institutionalized abuse.
Administrator Loeffler ordered a full-scale audit of the 8(a) Program earlier this year after a DOJ investigation uncovered a $550 million fraud and bribery scheme involving a former federal contracting officer and two 8(a) contractors. The audit, which is ongoing, focuses on examining high-dollar and limited-competition contracts going back over a period of fifteen years in collaboration with various federal agencies that award contracts to 8(a) participants. Last month, SBA took immediate action to suspend Link is external numerous executives and contractors following allegations of fraud involving more than $253 million in previously issued contract awards.
The U.S. Department of Treasury also recently launched Link is external its own audit of all contracts and task orders awarded under preference-based contracting, totaling approximately $9 billion in contract value across Treasury and its bureaus.
About the 8(a) Business Development Program
The SBA certifies small businesses considered to be socially and economically disadvantaged under its nine-year 8(a) Business Development Program. The 8(a) program helps these firms develop and grow their businesses through one-to-one counseling, training workshops and management and technical guidance. It also provides access to government contracting opportunities, allowing them to become solid competitors in the federal marketplace.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2025/12/05/sba-orders-all-8a-participants-provide-financial-records
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Fact Sheet: Prison Mistreatment and FoRB
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following fact sheet:
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Prison Mistreatment and FoRB
Introduction
Governments continue to target religious prisoners on the basis of religion or belief even after their incarceration. While certain types of mistreatment are systematic and affect all prisoners, many specifically target religious dissidents. This mistreatment may range from harassment or discriminatory comments to outright torture.
Government imprisonment on the basis of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is often both coercive and violent.
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following fact sheet:
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Prison Mistreatment and FoRB
Introduction
Governments continue to target religious prisoners on the basis of religion or belief even after their incarceration. While certain types of mistreatment are systematic and affect all prisoners, many specifically target religious dissidents. This mistreatment may range from harassment or discriminatory comments to outright torture.
Government imprisonment on the basis of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is often both coercive and violent.FoRB prisoners are detained, placed into confinement, and disconnected from their families and religious communities because of their beliefs. Governments deliberately use mistreatment as a strategy to demoralize and disavow religious dissidents of their beliefs or the expression of these beliefs. Reports of mistreatment in prison have a chilling effect on disfavored religious communities outside of prisons as well. These groups often fear that like these mistreated prisoners, their lawful exercise of FoRB will make them the target of government repression.
This factsheet provides illustrative examples of prisons in which religious dissidents and those arrested on the basis of their religious identity face targeted mistreatment.
It also provides examples from the Frank R. Wolf Victims List of specific people governments have mistreated in these prisons.
Mai Serwa prison is an isolated facility located to the north of the Eritrean capital, Asmara. Most prisoners reside in metal shipping containers and have access to only 20 bathroom facilities. In the past, prisoners were forced to relieve themselves in open fields. Due to their rudimentary construction, metal shipping containers used as cells at the facility reach extreme hot and cold temperatures. Prisoners are packed tightly into the containers and there is a lack of adequate space. The prison complex reportedly contains underground cells as well. Medical care is inadequate and there is an insufficient supply of food and water. Scores of prisoners, including those detained on the basis of religion, have died at Mai Serwa. Former inmates and doctors report torture by Mai Serwa prison staff. Since inmates are rarely charged or sentenced, imprisonment at Mai Serwa is often a de facto life sentence.
Eritrea's government mistreats Christians at Mai Serwa on the basis of their religious identity. Former inmates report prison guards using torture to attempt to force Christians to renounce their faith. One recounts being pressured to sign a document saying she "would neither preach, praise, sing, nor spread the gospel." As of early 2025, 15 members of the Christian Mahalian praise group remain at the prison. In April 2023, authorities arrested more than 100 members of the group for an "illegal church gathering" after they recorded religious songs and attempted to post them online. Most were eventually released, but the 15 remain imprisoned for expressing their faith.
Scores of Jehovah's Witnesses have been arrested and sent to Mai Serwa Prison. Eritrea's government often accuses Witnesses of holding "illegal" religious gatherings and arrests them for their religious objection to military service but sometimes does not issue formal charges at all. In the past year, Eritrean authorities have arrested scores of Jehovah's Witnesses and sent them to Mai Serwa, including a pregnant woman. These prisoners also include four teenagers who declined to contribute to a political fund over a religious belief in political neutrality. While some of these prisoners were released between December 2024 and February 2025, all spent time in Mai Serwa on account of their religious beliefs. Other Witnesses, including Henok Ghebru, remain imprisoned at Mai Serwa for conscientious objection. Eritrean authorities arrested Ghebru in 2005 and he has been denied medical treatment during his incarceration. In February 2025, former Mai Serwa inmate and Jehovah's Witness Negede Teklemariam spoke at a USCIRF event about his time at the prison from 2017 to 2020, the end of his 25-year sentence for conscientious objection.
Iran - Evin Prison
Intended Capacity: 15,000
Approximate Inmate Population: Unconfirmed, reports of overcrowding (2024)
Evin Prison is located in the northern Evin neighborhood of Tehran. Built in 1971, the prison holds political dissidents, including religious minorities imprisoned on the basis of their faith. The facility has also held lawyers and activists who have advocated peacefully for FoRB.
Following an Israeli airstrike that damaged parts of the facility on June 23, 2025, several religious prisoners of conscience were transferred to other prisons. The government began returning some of these relocated detainees to the prison in August 2025.
Members of Iran's Baha'i leadership (the Yaran-e Iran) have been incarcerated at Evin Prison, including Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet. Kamalabadi was arrested in July 2022. In August 2022, an interrogator told her that "all Baha'is who remained in Iran [after 1979] ... should be arrested and imprisoned." In 2023, Sabet reported physical abuse, threats, and slander during solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. In December 2024, after being denied adequate medical care for a lung condition at Evin, she was taken to a hospital for open-heart surgery and was recovering at home as of late 2025.
Evin holds about 60 percent of Christians detained in Iran. Former Christian prisoners report prison guards making harassing comments about their religion during interrogations. Others have been pressured to "confess" to participation in religious activities. An Armenian Christian woman reported that in 2022, an interrogator at Evin sexually assaulted and disparaged her for not wearing hijab on account of her non-Muslim religious identity.
In April 2025, a convert to Christianity who was recently released from Evin reported that in late 2023 or early 2024, an interrogator at Evin tried to pressure him to sign a legal commitment to cease his religious activities.
Nicaragua - Establecimiento Penitenciario Integral de Mujeres (La Esperanza)
Intended Capacity: 120
Approximate Inmate Population: 500 (2021)
Establecimiento Penitenciario Integral de Mujeres (EPIM), also known as "La Esperanza," opened in December 1987. In recent years, the prison has offered vocational training, education and literacy programs, and a maternity ward. It has permitted some religious celebrations as well. However, following antigovernment protests in 2018, former inmates increasingly report torture, denial of adequate medical care, rodent and insect infestations, inadequate protection from other inmates, and sexual assault at La Esperanza and other Nicaraguan prisons.
Inmates at La Esperanza have included FoRB prisoners.
In December 2023, Nicaragua's government arrested 11 leaders of the Mountain Gateway church along with two of their lawyers. The government charged them spuriously with money laundering and organized crime. They spent nine months in La Esperanza and La Modelo Prisons and were denied access to Bibles and adequate medication before being deported to Guatemala. Other inmates at La Esperanza are likely affiliated with the Catholic Church, which became the target of crackdowns starting in 2018 after it offered shelter and first aid to participants in protests against the government. Carmen Maria Saenz Martinez and Lesbia Gutierrez, both affiliated with the Catholic Church, are likely at La Esperanza but have been detained incommunicado without proof of life and denied access to lawyers. In January 2025, officials at La Esperanza Prison severely restricted outdoor access for inmates who prayed out loud. The inmates had been beaten during interrogations and denied access to Bibles.
Saudi Arabia - Dhahban Prison
Intended Capacity: 7,500
Approximate Inmate Population: 4,000 (2021)
Dhahban Prison opened in December 2015 as a maximum security facility. The prison has hosted programs to support rehabilitation. Reports from recent years, however, indicate mistreatment--including torture resulting in death-- of inmates at Dhahban Prison on the basis of their religious beliefs. Prison officials at Dhahban have warned inmates not to disclose this torture to their families. During Raif Badawi's imprisonment for insulting Islam, officials at Dhahban Prison subjected him to ongoing mistreatment. In December 2019, he conducted a hunger strike in protest of this mistreatment, which included denial of access to crucial medicine. While Badawi was released in 2022 (and remains under a travel ban), his lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair, remains in prison.
Officials at Dhahban Prison placed al-Khair in solitary confinement, denied him contact with his family, and subjected him to torture.
In 2018, Saudi officials violently targeted several activists detained at Dhahban for peacefully protesting the religious male guardianship system. The women were taken to an unofficial site known as the "hotel" where they were sexually assaulted and tortured. During these encounters, officials subjected them to taunts, including "where is your Lord to protect you?" While the women were eventually released, several of them, including Loujain al-Hathloul, remain under a travel ban.
Turkmenistan - Ovadan-Depe Prison
Intended Capacity: 150 Approximate Inmate Population: 360 (2009) Construction of Ovadan-Depe prison began in 2002 northwest of the capital, Ashgabat. Former inmates report egregious conditions, including lack of sufficient food, mass beatings, and other forms of torture. Temperature fluctuations between -4 degrees F and 104 degrees F and mosquito infestations further exacerbate this poor treatment.
Inmates also report "hunchback cells," which are only five feet tall and prevent prisoners from standing upright in them. Solitary confinement cells at the prison (kartsers) are 10-foot-high, well-shaped rooms into which prisoners are placed at the bottom with only a small window at the top.
Several inmates at Ovadan-Depe are imprisoned on charges of being "Wahhabi," a movement of Islam originating in Saudi Arabia and based on the teachings of Mohammed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Membership in a Wahhabi group can carry a six-year prison sentence in Turkmenistan. However, the charge is often used against people regardless of their actual beliefs or activity, including a Protestant Christian in 2024. At Ovadan- Depe, those accused of being part of a Wahhabi group are guarded in a special unit overseen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Others accused of "Islamic extremism" have been imprisoned at Ovadan-Depe. Turkmenistan has also imprisoned at Ovadan-Depe members of the Nurist movement, including Myratdurdy Shamyradow, Meret Owezow, Ahmet Mammetdurdyyew, and Begejik Begejikow.
Conclusion
Prisons abroad, including the small sample in this factsheet, are a site of FoRB restrictions that are often systematic and egregious. State perpetration of these restrictions often takes the form of violent coercion, harassment, and denial without justification of religious freedom. Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (as amended) heads of U.S. government agencies should raise cases involving individuals imprisoned because of their religion with foreign counterparts. Additionally, and to better spotlight FoRB mistreatment in prisons, U.S. diplomats should seek to meet with imprisoned religious leaders.
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Original text here: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2025-12/2025%20Factsheet%20Prison%20Mistreatment%20and%20FoRB%20v2.pdf
SBA Relief Still Available to New Mexico Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Relief Still Available to New Mexico Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits
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WASHINGTON The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in New Mexico of the deadlines to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by drought.
The disaster declarations cover the counties listed below:
Declaration Number
Primary
Counties
Neighboring
Counties
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Relief Still Available to New Mexico Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits
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WASHINGTON The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in New Mexico of the deadlines to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by drought.
The disaster declarations cover the counties listed below:
Declaration Number
Primary
Counties
Neighboring
Counties
Incident Type
Incident Date
Deadline
NM 21080 Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Torrance and Valencia Catron, Guadalupe, Lincoln, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Socorro in New Mexico; Apache in Arizona Drought Beginning March 4, 2025 1/6/2026
NM 21085 Colfax and Harding Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Taos and Union in New Mexico; Costilla and Las Animas in Colorado Drought Beginning April 29, 2025 1/5/2026
Under these declarations, SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs including faith-based organizations with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
"Through a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, SBA provides critical financial assistance to help communities recover," said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. "We're pleased to offer loans to small businesses and private nonprofits impacted by these disasters."
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.625% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant's financial condition.
To apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
For NM 21080, submit completed loan applications to SBA no later than Jan.6, 2026. However, after the deadline has passed, there is a 60-day grace period in which SBA will accept applications.
For NM 21085, submit completed loan applications to SBA no later than Jan.5, 2026. However, after the deadline has passed, there is a 60-day grace period in which SBA will accept applications.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2025/12/05/sba-relief-still-available-new-mexico-small-businesses-private-nonprofits
National Archives to Loan Historic Documents to Presidential Libraries Across the Country, to Support America's 250th Birthday Exhibitions
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The National Archives and Records Administration issued the following news release:
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National Archives to loan historic documents to Presidential Libraries across the country, to support America's 250th birthday exhibitions
The National Archives and Records Administration announced that it will temporarily move over 30 remarkable documents, records and artifacts from storage vaults in Washington, DC and loan them to support exhibitions at America's Presidential Libraries that celebrate the Semiquincentennial in 2026.
This effort takes the National Archives' ongoing
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The National Archives and Records Administration issued the following news release:
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National Archives to loan historic documents to Presidential Libraries across the country, to support America's 250th birthday exhibitions
The National Archives and Records Administration announced that it will temporarily move over 30 remarkable documents, records and artifacts from storage vaults in Washington, DC and loan them to support exhibitions at America's Presidential Libraries that celebrate the Semiquincentennial in 2026.
This effort takes the National Archives' ongoingexhibition series "Opening the Vault " to a national audience, and will provide Presidential Library visitors with special and exceptionally rare opportunities to get up close to important records that have shaped our nation.
The documents going on display will differ at each Presidential Library, offering visitors distinct and different experiences at each museum exhibition. Documents were selected by the National Archives' Office of Presidential Libraries in partnership with nonprofit Presidential Foundations.
Featured documents that will cross the country for display include:
* Thomas Edison's Patent Application for the Light Bulb, 1880
* Statue of Liberty's Deed of Gift from the People of France, 1884
* 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that ended slavery, 1865
* FDR's handwritten "date which will live in infamy" speech draft, 1941
* Document officializing the surrender of Germany in World War II, 1945
* Letter from Jackie Robinson to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1958
The following Presidential Libraries are hosting exhibitions to celebrate America250 that will include many of these historic documents in 2026. The Presidential Libraries are:
* Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri
* Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas
* John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts
* Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas
* Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California
* Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan
* Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California
* George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas
* William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas
* George W. Bush Library and George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas
More information about each Presidential Library's exhibition --including opening dates and lists of documents that will be featured for display-- will be announced shortly at archives.gov .
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Original text here: https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2025/nr25-14
NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction
PASADENA, California, Dec. 5 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction
Set to launch by May 2027, the spacecraft will study mysteries of the cosmos while also testing the Coronagraph Instrument, a new technology designed and built by JPL.
NASA's next big eye on the cosmos is now fully assembled. On Nov. 25, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the largest clean room at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
"Completing
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PASADENA, California, Dec. 5 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction
Set to launch by May 2027, the spacecraft will study mysteries of the cosmos while also testing the Coronagraph Instrument, a new technology designed and built by JPL.
NASA's next big eye on the cosmos is now fully assembled. On Nov. 25, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the largest clean room at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
"Completingthe Roman observatory brings us to a defining moment for the agency," said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. "Transformative science depends on disciplined engineering, and this team has delivered -- piece by piece, test by test -- an observatory that will expand our understanding of the universe. As Roman moves into its final stage of testing following integration, we are focused on executing with precision and preparing for a successful launch on behalf of the global scientific community."
After final testing, Roman will move to the launch site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch preparations in summer 2026. Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will send the observatory to its final destination a million miles from Earth.
"With Roman's construction complete, we are poised at the brink of unfathomable scientific discovery," said Julie McEnery, Roman's senior project scientist at NASA Goddard. "In the mission's first five years, it's expected to unveil more than 100,000 distant worlds, hundreds of millions of stars, and billions of galaxies. We stand to learn a tremendous amount of new information about the universe very rapidly after Roman launches."
Observing from space will make Roman very sensitive to infrared light -- light with a longer wavelength than our eyes can see -- from far across the cosmos. Pairing its crisp infrared vision with a sweeping view of space will allow astronomers to explore myriad cosmic topics, from dark matter and dark energy to distant worlds and solitary black holes, and conduct research that would take hundreds of years using other telescopes.
"Within our lifetimes, a great mystery has arisen about the cosmos: why the expansion of the universe seems to be accelerating. There is something fundamental about space and time we don't yet understand, and Roman was built to discover what it is," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. "With Roman now standing as a complete observatory, which keeps the mission on track for a potentially early launch, we are a major step closer to understanding the universe as never before. I couldn't be prouder of the teams that have gotten us to this point."
Double vision
Roman is equipped with two instruments: the Wide Field Instrument and the Coronagraph Instrument technology demonstration.
The coronagraph will demonstrate new technologies for directly imaging planets around other stars. It will block the glare from distant stars and make it easier for scientists to see the faint light from planets in orbit around them. The coronagraph aims to photograph worlds and dusty disks around nearby stars in visible light to help us see giant worlds that are older, colder, and in closer orbits than the hot, young super-Jupiters direct imaging has mainly revealed so far.
"The question of 'Are we alone?' is a big one, and it's an equally big task to build tools that can help us answer it," said Feng Zhao, the Roman Coronagraph Instrument manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "The Roman Coronagraph is going to bring us one step closer to that goal. It's incredible that we have the opportunity to test this hardware in space on such a powerful observatory as Roman."
The coronagraph team will conduct a series of pre-planned observations for three months spread across the mission's first year and a half of operations, after which the mission may conduct additional observations based on scientific-community input.
The Wide Field Instrument is a 288-megapixel camera that will unveil the cosmos all the way from our solar system to near the edge of the observable universe. Using this instrument, each Roman image will capture a patch of the sky bigger than the apparent size of a full Moon. The mission will gather data hundreds of times faster than NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, adding up to 20,000 terabytes (20 petabytes) over the course of its five-year primary mission.
"The sheer volume of the data Roman will return is mind-boggling and key to a host of exciting investigations," said Dominic Benford, Roman's program scientist at NASA Headquarters.
Survey trifecta
Using the Wide Field Instrument, Roman will conduct three core surveys that will account for 75% of the primary mission. The High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will combine the powers of imaging and spectroscopy to unveil more than a billion galaxies strewn across a wide swath of space and time. Astronomers will trace the evolution of the universe to probe dark matter -- invisible matter detectable only by how its gravity affects things we can see -- and trace the formation of galaxies and galaxy clusters over time.
The High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey will probe our dynamic universe by observing the same region of the cosmos repeatedly. Stitching these observations together to create movies will allow scientists to study how celestial objects and phenomena change over time periods of days to years. That will help astronomers study dark energy -- the mysterious cosmic pressure thought to accelerate the universe's expansion -- and could even uncover entirely new phenomena that we don't yet know to look for.
Roman's Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will look inward to provide one of the deepest views ever of the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers will watch hundreds of millions of stars in search of microlensing signals -- gravitational boosts of a background star's light caused by the gravity of an intervening object. While astronomers have mainly discovered star-hugging worlds, Roman's microlensing observations can find planets in the habitable zone of their star and farther out, including worlds like every planet in our solar system except Mercury. Microlensing will also reveal rogue planets -- worlds that roam the galaxy untethered to a star -- and isolated black holes. The same dataset will reveal 100,000 worlds that transit, or pass in front of, their host stars.
The remaining 25% of Roman's five-year primary mission will be dedicated to other observations that will be determined with input from the broader scientific community. The first such program, called the Galactic Plane Survey, has already been selected.
Because Roman's observations will enable such a wide range of science, the mission will have a General Investigator Program designed to support astronomers to reveal scientific discoveries using Roman data. As part of NASA's commitment to Gold Standard Science, NASA will make all of Roman's data publicly available with no exclusive use period. This ensures multiple scientists and teams can use data at the same time, which is important since every Roman observation will address a wealth of science cases.
Roman's namesake -- Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief astronomer -- made it her personal mission to make cosmic vistas readily accessible to all by paving the way for telescopes based in space.
"The mission will acquire enormous quantities of astronomical imagery that will permit scientists to make groundbreaking discoveries for decades to come, honoring Dr. Roman's legacy in promoting scientific tools for the broader community," said Jackie Townsend, Roman's deputy project manager at NASA Goddard. "I like to think Dr. Roman would be extremely proud of her namesake telescope and thrilled to see what mysteries it will uncover in the coming years."
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.
To learn about the Roman Space Telescope, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/roman
Written by Ashley Balzer, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-completes-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-construction/
IDB Supports The Bahamas to Prevent Flooding in Key Areas
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Supports The Bahamas to Prevent Flooding in Key Areas
The Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved an US$80 million loan to enhance the resilience and sustainability of transport infrastructure and mitigate socioeconomic disruptions caused by recurrent flooding in New Providence, The Bahamas.
This operation will finance a Global Multiple Works (GOM) program to increase the resilience of key transport corridors by improving draining systems and optimizing
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Supports The Bahamas to Prevent Flooding in Key Areas
The Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved an US$80 million loan to enhance the resilience and sustainability of transport infrastructure and mitigate socioeconomic disruptions caused by recurrent flooding in New Providence, The Bahamas.
This operation will finance a Global Multiple Works (GOM) program to increase the resilience of key transport corridors by improving draining systems and optimizingthe effectiveness and efficiency of road maintenance.
The program is aligned with ONE Caribbean, the IDB Group's comprehensive regional approach to promoting sustainable development in the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States. It is also aligned with Ready and Resilient Americas, an IDB Group regional impact program designed to enhance and boost resilience to disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
More than 296,000 residents of New Providence will directly benefit from improved mobility -especially under adverse weather events- as well as the millions of tourists who visit the island annually. The country's 398,000 inhabitants will indirectly benefit from a stronger economy driven by enhanced productivity and optimized public spending on road maintenance.
Flood events in New Providence often result in significant socioeconomic disruption. Roadways become inundated when the drainage systems reach capacity and stormwater accumulates, rendering roads impassable, constraining mobility, disrupting access to essential services, economic activity and accelerating road deterioration.
The program will see the design and implementation of sustainable and resilient flood-mitigation and stormwater-management infrastructure in selected transport corridors, including primary urban road networks, main thoroughfares, and residential community roads.
Additionally, it will support the implementation of the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs' asset-management system- update quality standards and specifications for road construction and maintenance -including drainage systems; and promote universal accessibility standards for streets.
The US$80 million loan has a repayment term of 25 years, a grace period of 5.5 years and an interest rate based on SOFR.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the IDB Group, is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the Bank works with the region's public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise, and knowledge, it promotes grow and well-being in 26 countries. Visit our website: https://www.iadb.org/en
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-supports-bahamas-prevent-flooding-key-areas
Ecuador Strengthens Its Growth Agenda With IDB Support
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Ecuador Strengthens Its Growth Agenda with IDB Support
Ecuador will implement economic policies to boost economic growth and strengthen the business environment by stimulating private investment in strategic sectors such as energy and tourism, supported by financing of $200 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The economic policy reforms will improve the efficiency of the tax system, collection, compliance, and reduce tax evasion. These policy actions aim to expand the use
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Ecuador Strengthens Its Growth Agenda with IDB Support
Ecuador will implement economic policies to boost economic growth and strengthen the business environment by stimulating private investment in strategic sectors such as energy and tourism, supported by financing of $200 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The economic policy reforms will improve the efficiency of the tax system, collection, compliance, and reduce tax evasion. These policy actions aim to expand the useof electronic means for tax payments and partial debit.
The program supports laying the groundwork for promoting more efficient public spending through changes focused on implementing quality spending tools to strengthen the public budget, such as thematic classifiers for gender, equality, and climate change; implementing results-based management in the chronic child malnutrition program, expenditure reviews, and defining prioritization criteria for public investment.
The program's financing also backs measures to strengthen strategic planning, coordination, and alignment of efforts between the public and private sectors through a national growth agenda. In addition, it will promote greater private investment in strategic sectors such as energy and tourism. The use of the Tourism Development Fund will be expanded, providing greater predictability in the budget for implementing promotion programs and stimulating private investment, thereby contributing to greater job creation.
This credit constitutes the first of two technically related but financially independent operations under the Programmatic Policy-Based Loan (PBP) modality, approved by the IDB's Executive Board. The loan has a 20-year amortization period, a 5.5-year grace period, and a rate based on SOFR.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the IDB Group, is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the Bank works with the region's public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise, and knowledge, it promotes grow and well-being in 26 countries. Visit our website: https://www.iadb.org/en
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/ecuador-strengthens-its-growth-agenda-idb-support
