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Nasa Launches Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Into Orbit

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Nasa's Roman telescope launched from Florida with a field of view 100 times wider than Hubble, aiming to hunt exoplanets and probe dark energy.

Nasa's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday morning from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning a mission to study dark energy, black holes and planets beyond our solar system. The telescope lifted off aboard a SpaceX rocket and separated from it about 30 minutes after launch, heading toward an orbital point roughly one million miles from Earth.

"Roman is going to change the way we look at the Universe," said Nicky Fox, a Nasa administrator, at a news conference following the launch. Jackie Townsend, a project manager on the Roman telescope, called the launch "glorious," adding, "The ride was magnificent. It put us right where we wanted to be."

The telescope will take about 100 days to reach its vantage point, after which it will begin charting exoplanets - planets located outside our solar system. Fox said Roman "is going to discover tens of thousands, maybe even 100,000 new exoplanets." She said the search connects to one of Nasa's central questions: "Are we alone in the universe?"

Nasa says Roman's field of vision is 100 times larger than both the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, allowing it to capture far more panoramic views of space. Astronomer Jenifer Millard told the BBC that Roman will orbit about four times farther from Earth than the Moon. She said the distance keeps infrared light - what she called "heat light" - from the Moon and Earth from interfering with the telescope's cameras.

Millard also said scientists expect Roman to find thousands of new worlds within our own galaxy, even as its primary work looks outward into the wider Universe.

How Roman Compares to Hubble and Webb

Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, also orbits the Sun at about one million miles from Earth, but its field of vision is narrower than Roman's. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, orbits much closer to Earth, at about 300 miles above the surface.

US President Donald Trump dialled into Nasa's post-launch news conference to congratulate the mission team. "You're the hottest in space, and we have the hottest country anywhere in the world. So, let's keep it all going. You're a big part of it," Trump told the scientists.

Named After Nasa's First Chief Astronomer

The telescope is named for physicist Nancy Grace Roman, who served as Nasa's first chief astronomer in the 1960s and was the agency's first female executive. She played a key role in securing US Congressional approval for the Hubble Space Telescope during her career.

With Roman now on its journey to deep space, Nasa's next milestone will come once the telescope settles into position roughly one million miles from Earth and begins its search for exoplanets and other cosmic phenomena.

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Nasa launch, Kennedy Space Center, exoplanets, dark energy, Hubble, James Webb Space Telescope, SpaceX rocket

 

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