Space & Astronomy

NASA has successfully launched its next-generation space telescope

By T.K. Randall
September 1, 2026

Image: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launch
Credit: Joel Kowsky / (PD) NASA Launched from Florida on Sunday, the Nancy Grace Roman telescope will be capable of capturing extensive panoramas with a field of vision 100 times that of Hubble or the James Webb.

Its first objective is to travel to a point around one million miles from Earth, where it will be deployed and begin its mission.

Once operational, the telescope will survey vast numbers of distant stars, searching for extrasolar planets - worlds beyond our solar system where conditions might be suitable for life.

It will also investigate some of the biggest mysteries in the universe, including the nature of dark matter and the behavior of black holes."Roman is going to change the way we look at the universe," said NASA's Nicky Fox.

The new telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman - NASA's first female executive and first ever chief astronomer back in the 1960s.

She played an important role in getting the Hubble Space Telescope approved in Congress.

Although she died in 2018, her legacy will live on, with her namesake helping to usher in a whole new era of astronomical exploration and discoveries.

Source: BBC News

Tags: NASA, Telescope