NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has begun its three-month, million-mile journey to its final orbit.
The space agency says it is hoped the mission will unlock many of the universe’s “darkest secrets”.
The telescope was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA said in a statement that Roman paired a large field of view with crisp infrared vision to explore vast swaths of the sky and probe deeply into cosmic history.
“This flagship mission will help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and worlds outside of our solar system, known as exoplanets,” it said.
“Its surveys will support a broad range of research extending far beyond the mission’s main science goals.”
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the Roman mission reflected more than a decade of dedication from the NASA workforce and our industry partners.
It would provide a “new atlas of the universe” and push the boundaries of discovery.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said Roman would open new frontiers.
“Roman will be a discovery machine that will bring us closer than ever before to answering humanity’s most profound questions about our cosmic history,” she said.
“With its large field of view and fast survey speeds, Roman will usher us into a new era of discovery and make the invisible visible, setting the foundation for humanity’s search for life beyond our solar system.”
More details on the mission are available here
