NASA's Roman telescope launches to 1.6 million kilometer orbit
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope took off on August 30, 2026, riding a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Florida.
It is now heading to an orbit 1.6 million kilometers away, ready to provide astronomers with an unprecedented view of the universe, all named in honor of NASA's first chief astronomer.
Roman telescope's 300MP camera hunts exoplanets
The Roman Telescope carries a super-detailed 300MP camera that can spot both visible and infrared light.
It will map out distant galaxies, hunt for dark matter and dark energy, and could even discover around 100,000 new exoplanets by watching for tiny dips in starlight.
Its special coronagraph can block out stars' glare so we can actually see planets around them, a big leap forward for finding Jupiter-like worlds far from Earth.
Roman telescope nearly canceled last year
After almost getting canceled last year, the Roman Space Telescope is finally on its way, and it could totally change what we know about space and distant planets.