NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off on Aug. 30, 2026, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was captured in an image showing the rocket transiting the Sun during ascent. The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, the agency’s first chief astronomer.
Roman is designed to survey billions of stars and galaxies, with a field of view far larger than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. This capability will allow it to map the cosmos on an unprecedented scale, addressing questions about dark energy, exoplanets, and the structure of the universe.
A wide-field observatory for cosmic surveys
The telescope’s primary mission is to conduct wide-field surveys, covering large swaths of the sky in a single observation. Its field of view, significantly larger than Hubble’s, will enable astronomers to study phenomena that require broad sampling, such as the distribution of dark matter and the properties of exoplanets.
Named for NASA’s first chief astronomer
Nancy Grace Roman, who served as NASA’s first chief astronomer, was instrumental in the development of space-based astronomy. The telescope bearing her name continues her legacy by pushing the boundaries of what can be observed from space.
Launch details and next steps
The Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The successful launch places Roman on a trajectory toward its operational orbit, where it will undergo commissioning before beginning its science mission. The exact timeline for first light and the start of routine observations has not been announced.