NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space Telescope

Jul 19, 2022 C22-015 NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space Telescope trailer_still_1.jpg A high-resolution illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against a starry background. Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center NASA has awarded a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, California, to provide launch service for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission. The Roman Space Telescope is the top-priority large space mission recommended by the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. NLS II is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The total cost for NASA to launch the Roman telescope is approximately $255 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs. The telescope’s mission currently is targeted to launch in October 2026, as specified in the contract, on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in

F39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The telescope’s science program will include dedicated investigations to tackle outstanding questions in cosmology, including the effects of dark energy and dark matter, and exoplanet exploration. Roman also includes a substantial general investigator program to enable further studies of astrophysical phenomena to advance other science goals. The telescope was previously known as the Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST), but it was later renamed in honor of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman for her extraordinary work at NASA, which paved the way for large space telescopes. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SpaceX launch service. The Roman Space Telescope project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Patti Bielling Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-501-7575 patricia.a.bielling@nasa.gov Last Updated: Jul 21, 2022 Editor: Gerelle Dodson Tags: Goddard Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center, Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Solar System, Universe, Read Next Related Article National Aeronautics and Space Administration Page Last Updated: Jul 21, 2022 NASA Official: Brian Dunbar No Fear Act FOIA Privacy Accessibility Office of Inspector General Office of Special Counsel Agency Financial Reports Contact NASA