Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
A panoramic view of the universe is almost here.
Roman will combine Hubble-class sharpness with a field of view at least 100 times larger, surveying dark energy, exoplanets, and a changing infrared sky.
Mission artwork: NASA · Official Roman mission ↗
- Launch countdown
- Roman target launch: August 30, 2026 at 7:26 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Target time · subject to change
- Field of view
- At least 100× Hubble
- Primary mirror
- 2.4 meters
- Destination
- Sun–Earth L2
A survey observatory
Sharp enough for detail. Wide enough for discovery.
Roman is designed to survey huge areas of the infrared sky without giving up the resolution astronomers expect from a flagship space telescope. That combination turns rare objects and slow cosmic change into measurable populations.
Its Wide Field Instrument will map galaxies and stars at scale, while the Coronagraph Instrument will demonstrate advanced techniques for suppressing starlight and studying nearby planetary systems.
Mission photostream
Roman, from clean room to first light.
Follow the hardware, teams, tests, and launch campaign now, then return for the observatory’s first wide-field views of the infrared universe.
A universe measured at scale
See the forest and the stars.
Roman is built for questions that become clearer when astronomers can study millions of objects with consistent, high-resolution observations.
Dark energy
Map galaxies and exploding stars across cosmic time to test how the universe expanded and how large-scale structure grew.
Exoplanet census
Use gravitational microlensing to reveal planets across the Milky Way, including worlds far from their host stars.
The changing sky
Repeated wide-field surveys will expose variable stars, distant supernovae, moving objects, and discoveries not yet anticipated.
The science payload
A wide camera and a new way to block a star.
Roman’s observatory pairs proven 2.4-meter optics with a wide survey instrument and a technology demonstration for direct exoplanet imaging.
WFI
Wide Field Instrument
A 300-megapixel infrared camera and spectroscopic system for wide, deep surveys of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems.
CGI
Coronagraph Instrument
A technology demonstration designed to suppress bright starlight and advance direct observation of faint nearby companions.
2.4 m
Primary mirror
A Hubble-sized mirror provides sharp space-based imaging while Roman’s focal plane captures a much wider scene.
L2
Stable observing environment
Roman will operate near Sun–Earth L2, with a clear view of the sky and conditions suited to long survey programs.
Mission arc
From a decadal priority to a panoramic observatory.
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A wide-field space survey becomes a priority
The US astronomy decadal survey recommends a flagship infrared mission for dark energy, exoplanets, and wide-field astrophysics.
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The mission is named for Nancy Grace Roman
NASA honors its first chief astronomer, whose leadership helped establish the era of space-based astronomy.
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The flight observatory comes together
Teams integrate the telescope, instruments, spacecraft, and deployable systems, then move into final environmental and launch testing.
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Target launch toward L2
Roman is scheduled to launch on Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center before commissioning its wide-field view.
The next flagship
Follow Roman from final test to first survey.
Browse the latest mission imagery now and return as launch, commissioning, and Roman’s public science archive unfold.