ScientistPankaj: Space & Physics: BREAKING—NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launches to space

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Space & Physics: BREAKING—NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launches to space

August 30—BREAKING—The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:26 A.M. EDT on Sunday, August 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA’s newest telescope is officially on its way to deep space after more than a decade of development and high anticipation.

Watch footage of the launch and read more about the Roman telescope on our website.

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—Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences

*This is a special, breaking news edition of our space & physics newsletter.*

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Big universe, tiny cost. Immerse yourself in science with a subscription to Scientific American. Get 90 days for just $1!

A large rocket fairing containing NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope rests on a platform tugged by a truck as it approaches integration with its rocket for launch.

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