Science
NASA launches Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to study dark universe
The $4.3 billion observatory features a field of view 100 times wider than Hubble and launched nine months ahead of schedule.
The short version
- NASA successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- The $4.3 billion mission aims to study dark energy and other mysterious cosmic forces with a massive field of view.
- The telescope's launch occurred nine months ahead of NASA's formal commitment date of May 2027.
Key facts
- NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.[Ars Technica]
- The mission cost $4.3 billion and features a 300-megapixel camera paired with a refurbished spy mirror.[Ars Technica]
- Roman has a field of view 100 times wider than the Hubble Space Telescope, allowing it to complement the detailed imaging of the James Webb Space Telescope.[Ars Technica]
- The spacecraft arrived at its launch pad nine months ahead of NASA's official commitment deadline of May 2027.[Ars Technica]
- Roman is only the second NASA-led astrophysics mission to launch this century, following the James Webb Space Telescope's launch in 2021.[Ars Technica]