NASA Launches Roman Space Telescope to Map the Universe and Study Dark Energy
- Powered by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the observatory is headed toward a gravitational parking spot 1,5 million de kilomètres from Earth to map wide swaths of the...
- The spacecraft stands over 12 meters tall and features a field of view more than 100 times larger than Hubble's.
- The mission's primary scientific objective centers on probing dark energy and dark matter, which together are thought to comprise roughly 95 percent of the universe.
Powered by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the observatory is headed toward a gravitational parking spot 1,5 million de kilomètres from Earth to map wide swaths of the cosmos and investigate the physics behind cosmic expansion.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy Liftoff in Florida
Honoring the Mother of Hubble
The spacecraft stands over 12 meters tall and features a field of view more than 100 times larger than Hubble’s. According to technical team statements cited by Agence France-Presse, the observatory will compile the largest catalogue of astronomical objects ever created.
Probing Dark Energy and Matter
The mission’s primary scientific objective centers on probing dark energy and dark matter, which together are thought to comprise roughly 95 percent of the universe. While dark matter acts as a gravitational anchor, dark energy operates as a repulsive force driving the accelerated expansion of the cosmos.
By surveying thousands of exoplanets and tens of thousands of supernovae using infrared vision, the telescope will allow researchers to look back billions of years into the history of stellar light, according to agency briefings detailed by France 24.
Testing the Standard Model
Data from the Roman Space Telescope will directly test the validity of the standard cosmological model.
A New Atlas of the Universe
Operating alongside existing assets like the James Webb Space Telescope and complementing the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission as well as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, Roman will spend roughly 100 days traveling to its operational vantage point.
Once positioned, its observations will be made freely available to researchers and the public worldwide, providing the raw material for a comprehensive new atlas of the universe.