NASA's Roman Space Telescope Launches Sunday. Here's What to Know

All eyes will be on the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday as NASA prepares to launch its Roman Space Telescope. Here is a look at the much-anticipated launch and whether the weather will cooperate.

All Systems Go for a Sunday NASA Launch?

NASA is finalizing preparations to send its next-generation observatory into space. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch from Launch Complex 39A at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Sunday morning. While the exact launch time will depend on a number of elements, NASA confirmed that it will happen no earlier than 7:26 am EDT.

The observatory is engineered to explore dark matter and exoplanets as it collects data from deep in the universe. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will be used to launch the telescope. Viewers can watch the livestream of the day's events on NASA's social media and streaming platforms. Coverage will start at 6:20 am EDT.

Will the weather cooperate for the launch? As of now, the weather looks favorable for a successful liftoff on Sunday morning. Located on Florida's Space Coast on the eastern side of the peninsula, Kennedy Space Center is forecast to be under partly cloudy skies at the time of the scheduled launch. It will be a warm morning with highs of about 78 degrees at the time of the early launch, along with light winds.

Final Preparations for the Launch Underway

NASA confirmed that the telescope arrived at the SpaceX hangar on Tuesday after being transported overnight from the center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Roman had been housed in this facility since June as engineers prepared it for Sunday's launch.

Teams will now attach Roman to the rocket in the hangar before a Launch Readiness Review is conducted on Friday. This review will confirm that the unit is ready for liftoff. The Flight Readiness Review was previously completed on August 21, confirming that Roman was ready to move on to the next stage of preparations.

According to NASA, teams put Roman inside the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket’s fairing on August 21. This 43-foot-tall fairing is engineered to protect the telescope from a variety of hazards, including heat, vibrations, and aerodynamic pressure. The fairing will separate from the telescope shortly after liftoff when conditions are deemed to be safe. The unit will then be recovered by SpaceX once it returns to Earth.

Roman will take a series of panoramic images once it arrives at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), located about one million miles from Earth. The images will provide a field of view that is roughly 100 times bigger than the Hubble telescope.

The Roman telescope gets its name from NASA's first chief astronomer, Dr. Nancy Grace Roman. The telescope is scheduled to remain in orbit for five years with the possibility of a five-year extension. The data gleaned from Roman once it sets off on its mission will be immediately available to the public.

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