15 lakh km away: When will Nasa's Roman Telescope reach its home in space

Nasa’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to begin its journey to a new home in deep space on August 30. But unlike a satellite that settles into orbit around Earth, Roman has a much longer journey ahead.The space agency plans to launch the telescope aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the launch is targeted for 5:50 pm IST on August 30.After separating from the rocket, Roman will head towards the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, which is a region roughly 15 lakh km from Earth.You spin one wheel in, you turn the next wheel out, you pivot another wheel upside down, and you turn Roman all aboutRoman's eight reaction wheels will rotate the spacecraft with great precision to point at specific areas of the sky.Progress: https://t.co/AvKpl3Fzkt pic.twitter.com/mulZrsu9gc— Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (@NASARoman) April 23, 2024WHERE IS NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE GOING?L2 is a special region where the gravitational effects of the Sun and Earth allow a spacecraft to travel around the Sun while maintaining a useful position relative to Earth. For Roman, this location offers a relatively stable vantage point with an unobstructed view of the universe.L2 will also allow the telescope to remain far enough from Earth that our planet will not frequently get in the way of its observations. Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope operates in the same broad region.The space agency has not announced an exact arrival date, but the journey is expected to take about a month, similar to other observatories sent to L2. An aerial view of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope as technicians work on it. (Photo: Nasa) The Roman telescope will be relying on its onboard fuel to make the manoeuvres needed to reach and maintain its orbit around L2.Nasa recently completed loading about 1,100 litres of hydrazine onto the spacecraft as part of preparations for launch.In the latest update from Nasa, engineers are now connecting the observatory to hardware that will eventually carry it into orbit.WHAT WILL NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE DO IN SPACE?Once at L2, Roman will undergo a period of checks and preparation before beginning its scientific observations.The telescope's main mission is to survey enormous areas of the sky in infrared light, helping scientists investigate dark energy, dark matter and planets beyond our solar system. The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is seen at the Nasa space facility. (Photo: Nasa) Its Wide Field Instrument will give Roman a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble’s, allowing it to survey huge stretches of the cosmos much faster.Nasa expects the observatory to map billions of galaxies and discover large numbers of exoplanets during its five-year primary mission.WHO WAS NANCY GRACE ROMAN?The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, Nasa’s first chief astronomer and the first woman to hold an executive position at the agency.Roman joined Nasa in 1959 and played a crucial role in turning the idea of a large space telescope into reality.What is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope? Why do we need it? What will it unveil?Learn more about Roman and how it will help us investigate some of the many mysteries of the universe.Roman is set to launch Aug 30th at 7:26 am ET. Stay up to date on the mission: pic.twitter.com/tgJmjWeo0z— Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (@NASARoman) August 14, 2026Her work helped pave the way for Hubble, earning her the nickname “Mother of Hubble.”The telescope bearing her name is now preparing to carry that legacy much farther, far into the vacuum of space, to a vantage point about 15 lakh km from Earth.- EndsPublished On: Aug 15, 2026 10:04 IST