NASA Launches Roman Space Telescope for Cosmic Mapping

NASA's Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The $4.3 billion observatory separated successfully from the rocket's upper stage shortly after liftoff.

• 1 million miles away is Roman's destination, shared with the Webb Space Telescope.
• 100 times wider is Roman's field of view compared to Hubble's.
• 1,000 times faster than Hubble is Roman's wide-field infrared camera.
• Nearly a year ahead of schedule and within budget, the mission launched.

Why it matters: Roman is built to answer questions about dark matter and dark energy, which make up most of the universe but remain undetected. Its galaxy catalog will help scientists measure how fast the universe is expanding.

• Roman will identify exoplanet candidates at scale; Webb can then examine them in detail.
• An experimental coronagraph on board can block starlight to directly image orbiting planets.

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What’s next: Roman will spend more than three months in transit before beginning observations.

• Roman, Hubble, Webb, ESA's Euclid, and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will work in tandem.
• A robotic refueling capability could extend Roman's life if a tanker becomes available.
• Will Roman detect direct evidence of dark energy's effect on universal expansion?
• When and whether a robotic tanker will be available to refuel and extend the mission remains unknown.