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New NASA telescope to probe dark energy, dark matter and exoplanets
The observatory will map more than 2 billion galaxies and release data to the public soon after processing, NASA said.
On Sunday, August 30, 2026, NASA will launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, marking a roughly $4 billion investment in the mission.
Named after Nancy Grace Roman, the 'mother of Hubble,' the mission aims to study dark energy and dark matter while discovering thousands of exoplanets beyond Earth's solar system.
With a panoramic field of view, the Wide Field Instrument captures images 100 times larger than Hubble's, allowing scientists to map over two billion galaxies across cosmic time far faster than previous observatories.
Advanced coronagraph technology will block starlight to reveal exoplanets 100 million times fainter than their host stars, enabling researchers to study distant worlds previously hidden from direct observation.
NASA Ames Research Center experts developed software to optimize observing plans and enhance data processing, while the mission is designed for five years with potential for five additional years of operation.
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
Weekly Science and Exploration podcast featuring Sarah Al-Ahmed
Weekly Science and Exploration podcast featuring Sarah Al-Ahmed
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is ready to launch
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science interview Roman mission scientists about NASA’s Aug. 30 launch to L2 and how the wide-field telescope will probe dark energy and discover thousands of exoplanets.