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Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

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1. What we know so far
2. On 14 October 2026, NASA reported that it had checked out the Wide Field Instrument and sharpened the telescope's focus, according to Wikipedia's account of the commissioning.
3. As of 20 October 2026, Roman remained in transit toward the Sun-Earth L2 region, with arrival expected in early December 2026.
4. On 17 September 2026, Gizmodo reported that NASA had shared test images showing the first starlight to reach the Wide Field Instrument's detector.
5. On 15 September 2026, NASA confirmed activation of the Wide Field Instrument after the Coronagraph Instrument had been powered on.
6. On 30 September 2026, NASA announced that Roman's guidance system had been tested successfully and its Coronagraph had made its first observation.
7. On 14 September 2026, NASA announced that Roman had enough fuel for at least 22 years of scientific operations.
8. On 30 August 2026, Roman launched from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
9. As of October 2026, NASA expected Roman's first science images by early 2027.
10. Known for: Wide-field visible and near-infrared imaging and exoplanet coronagraph technology demonstration
11. Space agency: NASA
12. Launch: Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center on 30 August 2026
13. Planned primary mission: Five years
14. Wide Field Instrument: 300.8-megapixel camera covering 0.48 to 2.30 micrometers (per Wikipedia contributors)
15. Coronagraph Instrument: Designed to image and study exoplanets as close as 0.15 arcseconds from their host stars (per Wikipedia contributors)
16. Expected arrival: Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit in early December 2026
17. Development cost: US$3.2 billion (per Wikipedia contributors)
18. Design and instruments
19. Roman is a NASA infrared space observatory named for Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief of astronomy. According to Wikipedia contributors, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the mission, while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, developed the Coronagraph Instrument. The telescope's optical system uses a 2.4-meter, three-mirror anastigmat assembled from hardware originally donated by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and manufactured by Harris Corporation.
20. The Wide Field Instrument is a visible and near-infrared camera covering wavelengths from 0.48 to 2.30 micrometers. Wikipedia gives its detector as 300.8 megapixels, while NASASpaceFlight.com gives 288 megapixels. Its field of view covers 0.28 square degrees, about 100 times the area covered by Hubble's imaging cameras. The Coronagraph Instrument is designed to suppress starlight and demonstrate direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets as close as 0.15 arcseconds from their host stars. It is intended to serve as a technology demonstrator for a future coronagraph on the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
21. Development and launch
22. The 2010 Decadal Survey by the National Research Council placed WFIRST at the top of the priority list for United States astronomy. Two surplus Harris Corporation 2.4-meter telescopes from the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office were offered to NASA in 2012, and one was chosen for the project. On 17 February 2016, NASA cleared Roman, previously named WFIRST, to advance from study to project formulation. NASA approved the project for implementation on 2 March 2020, with development costs estimated at US$3.2 billion and a total cost ceiling of US$3.934 billion, covering five years of operations.
23. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced on 20 May 2020 that WFIRST would be renamed the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The project passed its Critical Design Review on 29 September 2021. NASA awarded SpaceX a Falcon Heavy launch contract on 19 July 2022, specifying readiness by October 2026, at a launch cost of about US$255 million. Wikipedia contributors state that the White House Office of Management and Budget proposed canceling the telescope on 25 April 2025, but a revised budget released on 31 May 2025 did not include the cancellation.
24. According to Wikipedia contributors, the satellite bus was substantially completed in September 2024, and the telescope completed a major spin test in October 2024. The Wide Field Instrument and Coronagraph Instrument were integrated onto the instrument carrier in December 2024. Wikipedia contributors record that construction was completed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on 25 November 2025, and the completed telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center on 21 June 2026.
25. Roman launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 11:26 UTC on 30 August 2026. The two Falcon Heavy side boosters landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Landing Zones 2 and 40, while the center core was expended. About 31 minutes after launch, the telescope separated from Falcon Heavy's second stage and began its 1.5-million-kilometer journey to L2.
26. Commissioning
27. Roman executed its first mid-course correction burn on 31 August 2026, lasting about three minutes to refine its trajectory toward L2. By 25 September 2026, NASA reported that all planned ground stations were receiving Roman's data, including stations operated by the European Space Agency in Australia, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and NASA's Near Space Network in New Mexico.
28. On 30 September 2026, NASA reported that the guidance system had been tested successfully and the Coronagraph had made its first observation. NASA confirmed activation of the Wide Field Instrument on 15 September 2026, after the Coronagraph Instrument had been powered on about two weeks earlier. On 14 October 2026, NASA reported that the Wide Field Instrument had been checked out and the telescope focus had been sharpened. The reported wavefront error was 63 nanometers RMS, compared with an expected value of 90 nanometers RMS.
29. Wikipedia contributors state that Roman is expected to reach its Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit about 100 days after launch, in early December 2026, following a planned 90-day commissioning phase. NASA expects the first science images by early 2027. According to Wikipedia contributors, as of 20 October 2026, Roman had not begun its planned science surveys.
30. Science goals
31. Roman's Wide Field Instrument is designed to conduct wide-field surveys in visible and near-infrared light. Its planned survey program is intended to address questions about the expansion history of the universe, including the nature of dark energy. Wikipedia contributors record that the instrument is also designed to study large numbers of galaxies and stars across a broad field.
32. Wikipedia contributors state that the Coronagraph Instrument is designed to demonstrate the suppression of starlight needed for direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets separated from their host stars by about 0.15 arcseconds or more. NASA describes it as a technology demonstrator for a future coronagraph on the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Roman's planned primary mission lasts five years. NASA reported on 14 September 2026 that the spacecraft had enough fuel for at least 22 years of scientific operations.
33. Timeline
34. 2010: The National Research Council Decadal Survey recommended WFIRST as the top priority for U.S. astronomy.
35. 2012: The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office offered NASA two surplus 2.4-meter telescopes, one of which was selected for Roman.
36. 2016-02-17: NASA approved Roman, then WFIRST, to proceed from study to project formulation.
37. 2020-03-02: NASA approved Roman to proceed to implementation and cited a US$3.2 billion expected development cost.
38. 2020-05-20: NASA announced that WFIRST would be renamed the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
39. 2022-07-19: NASA awarded SpaceX a Falcon Heavy launch contract for Roman.
40. 2025-11-25: Construction of the Roman telescope was completed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
41. 2026-06-21: The completed Roman telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center for launch processing.
42. 2026-08-30: Roman launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center and was deployed about 31 minutes later.
43. 2026-09-14: NASA announced that Roman had enough fuel for at least 22 years of scientific operations.
44. 2026-09-30: NASA reported successful testing of Roman's guidance system and the Coronagraph's first observation.
45. 2026-10-14: NASA reported that Roman's Wide Field Instrument had been checked out and its telescope focus had been sharpened.

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