NASA's Roman Space Telescope Launches on Mission to Probe the Universe

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope rocketed into orbit early Sunday morning, beginning a mission scientists hope will reshape our understanding of the universe. The $4.3 billion observatory lifted off at 7:26 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Roman separated from the rocket about thirty-one minutes after launch and began powering up its onboard systems, according to NASA and SpaceX officials.

The telescope is named for Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief astronomer, who helped build the agency's early space science program decades ago. Over the next five to ten years, Roman will scan wide areas of the sky in search of answers about cosmic expansion and the universe's history. Roman has a much wider field of view than older telescopes such as Hubble, meaning it can capture far more sky in a single image.

One of Roman's main goals is studying dark energy, a mysterious force that appears to be pushing galaxies apart at an increasing rate. Researchers still do not fully understand what causes dark energy, and Roman's observations could offer important new clues. The telescope will also search for exoplanets, or planets orbiting distant stars, using techniques that can detect worlds far smaller than the outer planets in our own solar system.

NASA officials said the launch and separation went smoothly, with no reported problems. Engineers will spend the next several months testing Roman's instruments before the telescope begins its official science mission. Scientists around the world are expected to use its data for years to come, adding Roman to a growing fleet of tools helping humanity map the cosmos.