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Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope blog is NASA's hub for the mission's launch updates, where all are invited for behind-the-scenes looks on Roman's road to launch and beyond. This flagship mission’s vast, deep surveys will help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, exoplanets, and almost anything from our own solar system to galaxies at the edge of the observable universe. Follow along to join in on the excitement!

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Launch Broadcast Begins

Image shows a banner that reads Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. In the background is a rocket standing vertically with a payload fairing on top at the launch pad. Nearby is the mobile launcher, water tower, and a crane in a blue, bright sky.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, encapsulated in a protective payload fairing, is seen on the pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for launch Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA’s live broadcast begins for the launch of the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is targeted for 7:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

In the last 10 minutes, the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron updated to a 70% “go” for launch.

The observatory will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, and within the next 13 minutes, the NASA launch manager will conduct a poll to verify the rocket is ready to begin propellant-loading operations.

The Falcon Heavy will put Roman on a trajectory to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 (L2) located about 1 million miles from Earth. That trip, as well as Roman deployments, activations, calibrations, and tests are part of Roman’s approximately three-month commissioning period.

Roman will investigate dark energy and dark matter, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems, and enable a broad range of additional astrophysics research.

Launch coverage will be posted on the Roman blogs along with the live broadcast on NASA+ and a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch: www.nasa.gov/live.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA Kennedy, is responsible for managing Roman’s launch service. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc.; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.