Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is Ready for Launch

  • Released Tuesday, April 21, 2026
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The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in September 2026. That is nearly eight months ahead of its required launch readiness date of May 2027.

In its final years of construction, the observatory underwent rigorous environmental tests designed to prove it can withstand the demanding journey from Earth to space.

These environmental tests included blasting the telescope with the intense sound of a rocket launch, vibrating the observatory while enclosed in a protective clean tent, another launch simulation, and placing it inside a thermal vacuum chamber where it was cooled to the extreme operating temperatures of space.

Each of these tests proved Roman's worthiness for early flight and is a testament to the hard work from the entire team.

Music Credit:

Astral Geometry by Jon R Mohr

Fast Lane by Ruinz Ason, Simon James, Von Hemingway, William Riddims

Voice over: Julie McEnerey, Project Scientist and Shawn Domagal-Goldman Astrophysics Division Director

Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts

A vertical version of the video above. This is available for download with and without captions.

Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
This page was last updated on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 3:11 PM EDT.