NASA successfully launches Nancy Grace Roman space telescope – "Hubble's successor"

At 15:26 Moscow time on 30 August, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board was NASA's new space telescope, Nancy Grace Roman. The spacecraft successfully reached its designated trajectory and began independent flight. Scientists describe it as a major complement to the famous Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Launch Sequence

The launch timeline proceeded strictly according to schedule. At the second minute of flight, the side boosters shut down their engines, separated from the core stage, and landed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Nearly four minutes after liftoff, the first stage completed its burn, and the second stage placed the observatory on its intended trajectory.

At 15:57 Moscow time, the telescope separated from the launch vehicle. Immediately afterwards, the spacecraft established communication via the satellite relay system and deployed its solar panels, which also serve as a thermal shield.

Where the Observatory Is Headed

Nancy Grace Roman is now heading toward the L2 Lagrange point—a stable gravitational zone approximately 1.6 million kilometres from Earth. The James Webb Space Telescope operates from the same location. Unlike Hubble, which orbits Earth, the new observatory will occupy a heliocentric orbit.

Scientific data transmission will be supported by NASA's Deep Space Network, as well as ground stations of the European and Japanese space agencies.

How Roman Differs from Hubble

The new telescope's primary mirror matches Hubble's in size. However, thanks to a different optical curvature and a larger camera, each image will cover roughly 100 times more sky area. This will allow the observatory to rapidly survey vast expanses of space.

Over its five-year mission, Roman is expected to map billions of galaxies. Scientists hope that its wide-field survey will help more efficiently detect supernovae and new exoplanets, as well as study the large-scale structure of the Universe.

In Brief

On 30 August, NASA successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman telescope aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket. The spacecraft separated from the booster, deployed its solar panels, and is now heading toward the L2 Lagrange point. With a mirror the same size as Hubble's, its field of view is 100 times wider. Over five years of operation, the observatory is expected to map billions of galaxies and aid in the search for supernovae and exoplanets.