Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Scheduled to launch on August 30, 2026 at 07:26 am EDT is the next space telescope from NASA. It is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Check in with NASA for more details.

This is next in the line of space telescopes from the Great Observatories to Hubble to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It has a field of view 100 times that of Hubble. However, unlike Hubble, but similar to the JWST, it will position itself at the Sun-Earth L2 point. The Roman telescope will observe light in the visible to near-infrared wavelengths.

Image Spectrum. Image Credit: NASA

The telescope will focus on answering questions about dark energy and astrophysics as well as looking for and studying exoplanets. Its planned mission will last five years with the possibility of an extended five year mission.

Nancy Grace Roman Telescope. Image Credit: NASA

The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, who was a pioneer of space-based astronomy and the first female executive at NASA eventually becoming the Chief of Astronomy. She has been called the “mother of Hubble” due to her efforts to get the Hubble telescope approved.

“Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.” NASA.
- “About Roman.” NASA.
- “Roman Science.” NASA.
- “Fly with Nancy Grace Roman.” NASA.
- “Roman Launch Details.” NASA.
- “Who is Nancy Grace Roman?” NASA.
- “Press Kit.” NASA.
“What Is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope? (Grades 5-8).” NASA. August 11, 2026.
Kelly Kizer Whitt. “The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now complete!” EarthSky. December 4, 2025.
Dan Vergano. “NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will begin its revolutionary mission in September.” Scientific American. April 22, 2026.
Kyle Denny. “NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.” High Point Scientific. June 10, 2026.

“Roman Launch Details.” NASA.

“Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.” NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. Updated June 1, 2026.
- “Introducing NASA’s Roman Space Telescope.” NASA Goddard/YouTube. March 5, 2026. (1:29)
- “NASA’s Roman Space Telescope: Widening Our Gaze.” NASA Goddard/YouTube. December 23, 2025. (1:32)
“Introducing NASA’s Roman Space Telescope.” NASA 34th/YouTube. June 11, 2026. (0:55)
“NASA completes its next great observatory: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.” Spaceflight Now/YouTube. May 7, 2026. (10:05)
“Roman Series: NASA’s New View of the Dark Universe.” NASA’s Curious Universe. August 11, 2026.