NASA has launched its newest space observatory.
It is sending the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into orbit on a mission that could reshape our understanding of the universe.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifted the roughly $4 billion telescope from Florida on Sunday.
It began a journey toward Lagrange Point 2, about 1.6 million kilometres from Earth.
The mission is planned for at least five years, with the possibility of extending to a decade.
So, what makes Roman special? Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, which focuses on deep, detailed views.
Roman is built to survey enormous areas of the sky quickly.
Roman’s Cosmic Survey
NASA scientist Julie McEnery says a month of Roman observations could cover the Milky Way.
A task that would take Hubble roughly a century.
Roman’s biggest targets are some of the universe’s greatest mysteries: dark matter and dark energy.
By mapping more than two billion galaxies in 3D, scientists hope to understand what shapes the cosmos and why its expansion is accelerating.
The telescope will also hunt for thousands of exoplanets, potentially revealing how common planetary systems like ours really are.
As NASA’s Nicola Fox put it, Hubble and Webb looked through a “keyhole,” while Roman will “kick the door down.”
The telescope has now opened that door. What will scientists find on the other side?
