Nancy Roman Space Telescope

As NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope advances toward launch, the mission is beginning to transition from a completed observatory into an active scientific program. In recent weeks, the agency has opened the first round of community science proposals for the telescope.

As NASA moves deeper into a new era of space-based astronomy, another flagship observatory is quietly approaching the launch pad. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, designed to survey the universe at a scale no previous space telescope has achieved, has completed assembly and is undergoing final environmental testing ahead of being shipped to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a planned liftoff as soon as late 2026.

A new space telescope that is 87% paid for, on schedule, and on budget, could be completely canned if President Trump’s proposed budget makes it law for NASA. That wouldn’t be the only thing of NASA’s that would be going away either.