NASA Schedules Launch Coverage for Roman Space Telescope

NASA and SpaceX are targeting the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Live coverage of the prelaunch and launch events will stream through multiple public platforms starting at 6:20 a.m. EDT on launch day.

The observatory, named after NASA's first chief astronomer, features infrared vision and a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists intend to use the telescope to investigate dark energy, dark matter, black holes, and exoplanets while mapping billions of galaxies across its primary five-year mission.

Following separation from the rocket, the telescope will travel to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), located approximately one million miles from Earth. Science data gathered by the observatory will be released publicly after processing.

Official briefings begin on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 9 a.m. EDT with a dedicated mission science briefing hosted at the Kennedy Press Site auditorium. Participants include Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, alongside scientists and leads from NASA Goddard, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and Caltech/IPAC.

A prelaunch news conference follows at 10:30 a.m. EDT featuring Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Lucas Paganini, Roman telescope program executive, and representatives from SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron.

At 11:45 a.m. EDT, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is scheduled to perform a jet flyby past the Roman Space Telescope and Falcon Heavy rocket on the launchpad, subject to weather conditions. In-person interviews with project managers and industrial partners, including L3Harris Technologies and BAE Systems, will take place at noon.

Launch operations conclude on Aug. 30 with a post-launch news conference scheduled for 9:30 a.m. EDT featuring Isaacman, Fox, and key mission directors.