Liftoff: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Falcon Heavy | NASA Kennedy

Liftoff: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Falcon Heavy | NASA Kennedy

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched successfully with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope onboard from Launch Complex 39A, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch occurred at 7:26 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

This was the first and third flight for the two first stage side boosters supporting this mission. They previously launched the SpaceX GOES-U and Viasat-3 F3 missions. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters landed on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 2 and 40 (LZ-2 and LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

→ Watch the launch replay here: https://spacex.com/launches/roman

Roman’s primary mission is to settle essential questions about dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics by conducting wide-field surveys that explore the universe’s structure, evolution, and composition. 

The Roman telescope and the discoveries it will support:
https://www.stsci.edu/roman

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

Roman’s namesake—Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer—made it her personal mission to make cosmic vistas readily accessible to all by paving the way for telescopes based in space.

“The mission will acquire enormous quantities of astronomical imagery that will permit scientists to make groundbreaking discoveries for decades to come, honoring Dr. Roman’s legacy in promoting scientific tools for the broader community,” said Jackie Townsend, Roman’s deputy project manager at NASA Goddard. “I like to think Dr. Roman would be extremely proud of her namesake telescope and thrilled to see what mysteries it will uncover in the coming years.”

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: 
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/

Download the free Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope poster here: 

Print high resolution PDF (144.47 MB) 
https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/missions/rst/science/ROMAN-poster-24x36-2026.pdf

Print high resolution image PNG (45.60 MB)
https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/missions/rst/science/ROMAN-poster2026.png

Smaller image for web view PNG (3.75 MB)
https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/missions/rst/science/ROMAN-poster2026-web.png

Image Credit: SpaceX

Duration: 22 seconds

Date: Aug. 30, 2026

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