NASA prepares to launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
NASA is set to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will survey over a billion galaxies and study dark energy and exoplanets.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a new observatory that will give astronomers a much wider view of the universe than ever before. The telescope, named after NASA's first chief astronomer, is scheduled to lift off at 7.26am local time, which is 12.26pm in the UK. Once in position a million miles from Earth, it will unfold its solar wings, raise its sunshade, and turn its dish back towards our planet.
The telescope carries a mirror the same size as the one on the Hubble Space Telescope, so its pictures will be just as sharp. But its field of view is much wider, allowing it to scan 100 times more of the sky. Over its five-year mission, it is expected to survey more than a billion galaxies, making it ideal for studying dark energy, the invisible force that is pulling galaxies apart.
The telescope's speed of data collection is remarkable. According to those involved, in just two weeks it will amass more data than Hubble has gathered in 36 years. That makes it a game changer across almost all areas of modern astrophysics.
The mission is named after Nancy Grace Roman, who faced discouragement as a young woman when teachers told her physics was not for girls. She ignored that advice and went on to become NASA's first chief astronomer, playing a key role in securing funding for the Hubble Space Telescope.
The telescope itself is an engineering marvel, weighing eight tonnes and built from glass, silver, and ultra-precision components. Every part was assembled by hand in a clean room that is even cleaner than an operating theatre. Its sunshade folds flat for launch and then opens in space to block stray sunlight.
The first images from the telescope are expected early next year. Its mission will map more than a billion galaxies and uncover around 100,000 new worlds, including distant exoplanets. Scientists say the data will transform our understanding of the cosmos.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News |
|---|---|
| The first images are expected next year. | |
| The telescope will scan 100 times more of the sky than Hubble. | |
| The telescope will survey more than a billion galaxies. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the technical capabilities of the telescope, its scientific goals, and the personal story of Nancy Grace Roman. The report highlighted the telescope's wide field of view, its speed of data collection, and the engineering behind it. It also gave a clear launch time and explained the mission's significance for studying dark energy and exoplanets.
- “It's going to, in two weeks, it'll amass more data than the Hubble Space Telescope has amassed in 36 years.”
- “It's named after the woman who was the driving force in driving funding for Hubble.”
- “It has a sunshade that folds flat for launch then opens over the telescope in space to keep stray sunlight out.”
Broadcast Timeline
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