NASA's Roman Space Telescope launched: Will image an area 100 times wider than Hubble

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is heading toward the L2 point to investigate dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

12punto 31 August 2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, developed by NASA to study the universe through large-scale observations, was launched on August 30 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Prepared over more than 10 years with a budget of approximately 4 billion dollars, the telescope will be used for research on dark matter, dark energy, and planets outside the Solar System.

Roman is currently traveling toward the L2 Lagrange point between the Earth and the Sun to reach its mission destination. The James Webb Space Telescope is also operating in the vicinity of the same region. According to NASA's plan, it will take approximately 90 days for the telescope to arrive at L2.

The initial stages and landing process of the Falcon Heavy mission were followed in the images reflected on the NASA broadcast.

Following the launch, the rocket released the Roman Space Telescope approximately 31 minutes after liftoff. During the first 40 days of the journey, the telescope's systems and scientific instruments are expected to be commissioned and checked. The scientific preparation process is planned to begin after approximately 45 days.

After separating from the Falcon Heavy, the Roman Space Telescope began its journey toward the L2 point.

WHAT WILL ROMAN INVESTIGATE?

While the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes can examine specific targets in the universe in great detail, Roman's main strength will be its ability to scan wider regions at once. The telescope's primary instrument, the Wide Field Instrument (WFI), was designed to image large sections of the sky with high resolution.

According to information provided by NASA, Roman's field of view will be able to reach approximately 100 times that of Hubble. This capacity will allow large sky surveys to be completed in a shorter time. It is stated that the telescope's smallest images could reach approximately 1 billion pixels, while its largest images could reach up to 1 trillion pixels.

Once the WFI begins operation, Roman is expected to generate more than 1 TB of data every day. It is stated that completing one of the most comprehensive observation programs could take more than a year. Julie McEnery, a senior scientist for Roman, states that the telescope could detect approximately 20 billion stars in the Milky Way.

The telescope also features an advanced coronagraph to be used in space. This system will help make dimmer objects around stars visible by blocking the intense light coming from the stars. Thus, exoplanets orbiting distant stars and the structure of these systems can be examined in more detail.

NASA named the telescope after Nancy Grace Roman, the agency's first chief astronomer. As one of the first women to hold an executive position at NASA, Roman was among those who advocated for the development of space-based telescopes and was known as the "mother of Hubble" for her role in bringing the Hubble Space Telescope to life.

After Roman completes its tests, it is expected to begin wide-field sky surveys, with the first images expected to be shared in the early months of 2027. The NASA team aims for the telescope to contribute to understanding the role of dark matter and dark energy in the universe, finding new exoplanets, and studying the large-scale structure of the universe.