NASA's Roman Space Telescope Begins Mission to Study Universe

NASA's $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The observatory is equipped with a 300-megapixel camera and a refurbished spy mirror.

The Roman mission is designed to extend the observational reach of NASA's other space observatories, offering a field of view 100 times wider than the Hubble Space Telescope. It is intended to complement the work of the James Webb Space Telescope.

This marks NASA's second astrophysics mission led by the agency this century, following the James Webb Space Telescope's launch in 2021. The Roman telescope reached its launch pad nine months ahead of NASA's commitment to send it into space by May 2027.