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SpaceX to put Nancy Grace Roman telescope into orbit for $255 million

By on Wednesday, July 20, 2022

SpaceX has been awarded a million dollar contract from NASA . The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescopewill fly in 2026 on one of its ships.

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NASA has awarded the launch contract for the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope  to SpaceX for the sum of 255 million dollars.

The telescope, which will study dark matter and dark energy, will be launched in 2026, almost five years after the now famous James Webb .

Millionaire contract for SpaceX

Under the contract, SpaceX will launch the telescope on a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The vehicle first flew in 2018, has three reusable boosters, and can launch nearly 64 metric tons into orbit.

The cost of launching the mission is expected to be around $255 million, including launch services and related additional charges. 

Who was Nancy Grace Roman

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope , which is 2.4 meters in diameter, is scheduled to launch in October 2026.

This new telescope will be sent into orbit to study dark energy, dark matter, galaxies and exoplanets, which orbit a star outside the solar system. Its mission is dated for five years, but it is expected to project it for five more years.

Nancy Grace Roman , NASA ‘s first chief astronomer , paved the way for space telescopes focused on the wider universe.

“Due to the leadership and vision of Nancy Grace Roman , NASA became a pioneer in astrophysics and launched Hubble,” former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better name for the telescope, which will be the successor to NASA’s Hubble and Webb telescopes . “

Roman will have the same resolution as the Hubble Space Telescope , but will capture a field of view nearly 100 times larger. Scientists expect the spacecraft to collect more data than any of NASA’s other astrophysics missions .

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