Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Is "to infinity and beyond" possible? 🚀 Maybe, with the help of NASA's new telescope.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a new NASA telescope designed to investigate dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets. But why do we need a super-powered telescope in the first place?
NASA's two current telescopes—Hubble and James Webb—are great at doing what they do: telling us how individual stars and galaxies have evolved. But the Roman telescope's job is to tell us how the universe evolved. That's a way, way bigger scale than we've ever accomplished before.
The new telescope is named for NASA’s first chief of astronomy, Nancy Grace Roman, who is known as the “Mother of Hubble” for her instrumental role in the creation of the HST. (And making NASA's collection of telescopes something of a family affair.) It's scheduled to be launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 30, 2026.
Learn more from Britannica:
Who was Nancy Grace Roman? britannica.com/biography/Nancy-Grace-Roman
More about the new telescope: britannica.com/science/Nancy-Grace-Roman-Space-Telescope
12 questions about the history of space, answered: britannica.com/list/12-questions-about-the-history-of-space-exploration-answered
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#EncyclopaediaBritannica
Inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768.
Web: britannica.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Britannica
Twitter: twitter.com/Britannica
Instagram: instagram.com/Britannica
Is "to infinity and beyond" possible? 🚀 Maybe, with the help of NASA's new telescope.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a new NASA telescope designed to investigate dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets. But why do we need a super-powered telescope in the first place?
NASA's two current telescopes—Hubble and James Webb—are great at doing what they do: telling us how individual stars and galaxies have evolved. But the Roman telescope's job is to tell us how the universe evolved. That's a way, way bigger scale than we've ever accomplished before.
The new telescope is named for NASA’s first chief of astronomy, Nancy Grace Roman, who is known as the “Mother of Hubble” for her instrumental role in the creation of the HST. (And making NASA's collection of telescopes something of a family affair.) It's scheduled to be launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 30, 2026.
Learn more from Britannica:
Who was Nancy Grace Roman? britannica.com/biography/Nancy-Grace-Roman
More about the new telescope: britannica.com/science/Nancy-Grace-Roman-Space-Telescope
12 questions about the history of space, answered: britannica.com/list/12-questions-about-the-history-of-space-exploration-answered
~~~
#EncyclopaediaBritannica
Inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768.
Web: britannica.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Britannica
Twitter: twitter.com/Britannica
Instagram: instagram.com/Britannica
