NASA launches $4 billion Roman telescope from Florida on 10-year mission
What's next: The observatory will spend 90 days commissioning on its way to L2, with first images expected before the winter holidays.
NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 30, sending its new flagship observatory toward a deep-space perch about 1.6 million kilometers from Earth. The roughly $4 billion spacecraft rode a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and is headed to Lagrange Point 2, where it will study dark energy, dark matter, gravity and exoplanets. NASA plans a five-year science mission, with enough fuel for as many as five more years. Officials said Roman will now undergo about 90 days of commissioning before beginning operations and returning its first high-resolution images before the winter holidays.