NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Launch Set for Aug. 30
NASA and SpaceX are targeting a Sunday morning liftoff for the next-generation dark energy detective.
The update
NASA and SpaceX are preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Florida. The mission is scheduled for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30. The telescope will ride atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Pre-launch coverage is set to begin at 6:20 a.m. EDT.
Why it matters
Roman is NASA’s next-generation observatory. It is designed to investigate some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including dark energy and dark matter. The telescope will use infrared vision to map billions of galaxies and study black holes. It will also search for and characterize exoplanets.
What to watch
Roman will take about 30 days to reach its destination, the sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, which is about 930,000 miles from Earth. After a three-month checkout period, the telescope will begin its observations. The launch date is currently a target; weather or technical issues could delay the liftoff.