NASA successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on 30 August 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The telescope will study some of the biggest mysteries of the universe, including dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets.
Key Points
- Launch Date: 30 August 2026
- Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon Heavy
- Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
- Destination: Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), about 1 million miles from Earth
- Journey: Around 3 months to reach its final orbit
- Field of View: About 100 times wider than Hubble
- Exoplanets: Expected to help discover around 100,000 new planets
- Major Instrument: Coronagraph for directly imaging exoplanets and planet-forming disks
- Main Studies: Dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets and the evolution of galaxies
The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who is often called the “Mother of Hubble” for her important role in establishing NASA’s space-based astronomy programme.
