NASA’s next great telescope launches this weekend. What to know about it

In the process, the Roman telescope will investigate the strange force known as dark energy accelerating the universe’s expansion, observe the formation of galaxies and uncover far-away planets that have eluded detection.

And it all begins potentially as early as this weekend with a rocket launch from Florida’s iconic Kennedy Space Center.

This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the “ocean of stars.” The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy. (NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)

A field of stars in the constellation Lupus showcases the unprecedented view of the universe that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory provides. Rubin combines a wide view of the sky with the ability to detect extremely faint objects, revealing details of the cosmos across an enormous range of scales. (NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)

Globular cluster NGC 6544 as imaged by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This tightly packed globular cluster is home to tens of thousands of stars. (RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA)

Groundbreaking observatory begins 10-year mission exploring the cosmos

This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the “ocean of stars.” The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy. (NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)

Here’s everything to know about NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, its impending launch and its mission to observe the universe like never before.

Rocket launches: Here’s why rocket launches are due to soar in next decade across US

What is NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope?

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope represents NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission. Managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the observatory is designed to explore the outer solar system and beyond – prying into the previously unobservable far reaches of the universe to study dark energy and search for exoplanets.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on Aug. 30, 2026. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is due to propel the observatory into space following liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya)

A sign outside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center promotes the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which arrived in June to prepare for an upcoming launch. With a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble’s, the telescope will observe the cosmos, study dark energy and potentially discover exoplanets outside our solar system. (Craig Bailey/USA TODAY Network)

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is unloaded June 21 from NASA’s transport Pegasus barge. The telescope arrived at the Kennedy Space Center is be prepared for launch aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket. (Craig Bailey/USA TODAY Network)

NASA’s next great space telescope is due to launch.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on Aug. 30, 2026. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is due to propel the observatory into space following liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya)More

When is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope due to launch?

NASA is working toward an Aug. 30 launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, with liftoff taking place no earlier than 7:26 a.m. ET, according to the agency.

Where will the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launch take place?

The telescope will get off the ground and be propelled into space from the historic Launch Complex 39A – the site of many Apollo moon mission launches – at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida.

How will the observatory get to space? SpaceX Falcon Heavy to provide liftoff

The telescope will hitch a ride atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, which will provide the initial burst of thrust to help it reach space.

The 230-foot-tall Falcon Heavy rocket is similar to SpaceX’s well-known Falcon 9, except it is composed of not one, but three reusable core boosters from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 – each powered by nine engines in the company’s Merlin family. The design, classifying Falcon Heavy as a super-heavy launch vehicle, means the rocket is capable of transporting much bigger payloads to orbit.

Who was Nancy Grace Roman?

The telescope is named for Nancy Grace Roman, an American astronomer born in Nashville, Tennessee. The first female executive at NASA, Roman served as NASA’s first chief of astronomy until her retirement in 1979.

Roman, who died in 2018 at the age of 93, came to be known as the “mother of Hubble” due to her role in planning the iconic space telescope, according to NASA.

What will the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope do?

Roman’s primary objectives include revealing hundreds of more than a billion galaxies and studying the nature of dark matter and dark energy, according to NASA. The observatory will also aim to find and study thousands of new exoplanets – or worlds beyond the solar system.

How big is the telescope? How is it built?

Spanning 42 feet long and more than 14 feet wide, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is outfitted with two primary instruments:

• a wide multi-band 300-megapixel near-infrared camera known as the Wide Field Instrument that will allow scientists to look very far back in cosmic time and survey exoplanets;

• and the most powerful coronagraph to date, designed to reduce the glare from distant stars so it can photograph distant worlds that are could be nearly billion times fainter than their host star, as well as the debris disks orbiting them.

What makes the Roman telescope different from Hubble, Webb?

NASA envisions that the Roman telescope will be a complement to both the Hubble and James Webb observatories, exploring the same mysteries of the universe in different ways for a more complete picture.

The Roman telescope’s field of view is 100 times wider than Hubble‘s, meaning every image it captures and beams back to Earth is equivalent in scope to 100 photos from its predecessor.

What orbit will the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope be in?

The telescope will make its observations while about 930,000 miles from Earth, facing in a direction opposite the sun. At this spot in space, known as the second sun-Earth Lagrange point (or L2,) gravitational forces balance to keep objects in steady orbits, according to NASA.

How long will the telescope be in space?

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s primary mission is expected to last five years, though NASA designed it for a five-year extension. — Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY