Launches
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Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Falcon Heavy

This mission has flown

August 30, 2026

Mission overview

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA infrared space telescope with a 2.4 m (7.9 ft) wide field of view primary mirror and two scientific instruments. The Wide-Field Instrument (WFI) is a 300.8-megapixel multi-band visible and near-infrared camera, providing a sharpness of images comparable to that achieved by the Hubble Space Telescope over a 0.28 square degree field of view, 100 times larger than imaging cameras on the Hubble. The Coronagraphic Instrument (CGI) is a high-contrast, small field of view camera and spectrometer covering visible and near-infrared wavelengths using novel starlight-suppression technology. Roman objectives include a search for extra-solar planets using gravitational microlensing, and probing the expansion history of the Universe and the growth of cosmic structure, with the goal of measuring the effects of dark energy, the consistency of general relativity, and the curvature of spacetime.

Rocket

Falcon Heavy

Mission type

Astrophysics

Payload

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Launch complex

Launch Complex 39A · Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch date

August 30, 2026

Launch window

7:25 AM – 7:26 AM ET

Destination

Sun-Earth L2

Booster & recovery

Core

B1105

Flight 1 · first flight

Expended — no landing attempt

Strap-On Booster

B1104

Flight 1 · first flight

Return to launch site · Landing Zone 40 — expect sonic booms

Strap-On Booster

B1072

Flight 3 · flight-proven

Return to launch site · Landing Zone 2 — expect sonic booms

Mission updates

Live updates from our team at the press site will appear here on launch day.