NASA unveils Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to map universe
Roman will help illuminate the dark energy puzzle by using multiple methods to explore how the universe has evolved throughout cosmic history
Roman will help illuminate the dark energy puzzle by using multiple methods to explore how the universe has evolved throughout cosmic history
Roman will help illuminate the dark energy puzzle by using multiple methods to explore how the universe has evolved throughout cosmic history
• NASA is targeting early September 2026 for the launch of Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
• Roman will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• It is named after NASA’s first chief astronomer Nancy Grace Roman.
• She is known as the “mother of the Hubble Space Telescope”.
• The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble's, potentially measuring light from a billion galaxies in its lifetime.
• This observatory will also be able to block starlight to directly see exoplanets and planet-forming disks, complete a statistical census of planetary systems in our galaxy, and settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.
• The Roman space telescope will provide deep, panoramic views of the cosmos, generating never-before-seen pictures that will revolutionise our understanding of the universe.
• Roman will help illuminate the dark energy puzzle by using multiple methods to explore how the universe has evolved throughout cosmic history.
• Scientists are trying to determine what dark matter is made of, but our current understanding has many gaps. Roman will provide clarity by exploring the structure and distribution of both normal matter and dark matter across space and time.
• Roman will pair a large field of view with crisp infrared vision to survey deep, vast swaths of sky. While the mission was designed with dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets in mind, Roman’s unprecedented observational capability will offer practically limitless opportunities for astronomers to explore all kinds of cosmic topics.
• By the end of its five-year primary mission, Roman is expected to amass a 20,000-terabyte data archive.
• Scientists can draw on it to identify and study 100,000 exoplanets, hundreds of millions of galaxies, billions of stars, and rare objects and phenomena — including some that astronomers have never witnessed before.
• It is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, and scientists from various research institutions.