Kathmandu— NASA has launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a $4.3 billion astronomical observatory designed to uncover some of the universe's biggest mysteries, including dark energy and matter, as well as hunt for planets beyond our solar system. The telescope was propelled into space by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday morning.

Mission Objectives

The Roman Telescope is expected to discover thousands of new exoplanets and provide the first statistical census of planetary systems similar to our own. It will also shed light on dark matter and dark energy, which make up most of the universe but remain invisible. The telescope’s main survey will cover more than 2 billion galaxies over a year-long period.

Launch Details

The launch took place just after dawn on Sunday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket propelling the telescope towards Lagrange Point 2. This location is about 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Earth and will serve as a premier deep-space vantage point for observations.

Historic Significance

The Roman Telescope, named after NASA’s first chief astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, marks the agency's first space telescope to be named after a woman. Retired scientist Ed Weiler said this honor is long overdue and noted that Nancy would be very proud of the telescope tackling some of the biggest questions about the universe.

Collaboration with Other Telescopes

The Roman Telescope will join forces with other powerful observatories, including Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. While Hubble and Webb focus on detailed observations, Roman’s wide-angle lens capability allows it to survey the sky much faster, complementing the deep views provided by Webb.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.