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Roman Space Telescope Launches Successfully to Build a New Atlas of the Universe
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Technology

Roman Space Telescope Launches Successfully to Build a New Atlas of the Universe

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched from Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and is expected to reach its observation point after about 100 days.
  • The telescope will survey areas of sky more than 100 times wider than Hubble’s field of view and search for exoplanets and tens of thousands of supernovas.
  • Its infrared observations will help scientists study cosmic expansion, dark matter and dark energy, which are thought to account for 95% of the universe.

The Roman Space Telescope has begun its journey toward a new map of the cosmos after launching from Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA’s video broadcast showed the launch taking place Sunday at 7:26 a.m. local time, or 1:26 p.m. in Switzerland.

Developed over more than a decade at a cost of more than $4 billion, the telescope carries the name of Nancy Grace Roman, the American astronomer known as the “mother of Hubble.” Its mission reaches beyond simply taking sharper images. Roman will examine questions about the expansion of the universe that remain unresolved after Hubble’s observations.

It will help unlock the secrets of the universe.

— Donald TrumpThe US president used the phrase at a NASA ceremony to describe the telescope’s scientific ambitions.

The telescope will have a field of view more than 100 times wider than Hubble’s and broader than that of the James Webb Space Telescope. From a position 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, it will scan large sections of the sky after a journey of about 100 days.

A new atlas of the universe.

— Jared IsaacmanThe NASA administrator used the phrase when presenting the telescope to the press.

Scientists expect Roman to discover thousands of exoplanets and tens of thousands of supernovas, the explosions associated with massive stars nearing the end of their lives. Its infrared vision will capture light emitted billions of years ago, allowing researchers to look deeper into cosmic history. The mission will complement other observatories, including James Webb and the Rubin Observatory.

The telescope will also investigate dark matter and dark energy, invisible phenomena whose origins remain unknown but are thought to make up 95% of the universe. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has called the mission a new “atlas of the universe,” while technical manager Dave Content said it would produce the largest catalog of astronomical objects ever assembled and help show how common solar systems like ours are.

It will be the largest catalog of astronomical objects ever produced, and it will help us understand how common solar systems like ours are.

— Dave ContentThe telescope’s technical manager described the expected scientific value of its wide survey.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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