NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a next-generation space observatory designed to investigate some of the most fundamental questions about the universe. The telescope is expected to study dark matter, dark energy and distant astronomical objects while also searching for and characterising exoplanets.

It is named after Nancy Grace Roman, a pioneering NASA astronomer widely recognised for helping establish the agency’s space astronomy programme and often referred to as the “mother of Hubble”. The Roman Space Telescope is being developed to provide scientists with a wide-field view of the cosmos. While the Hubble Space Telescope has produced detailed observations of relatively small areas of the sky, Roman is designed to survey much larger portions of the universe.

This combination of wide coverage and high-resolution observations is expected to give researchers new ways to examine how galaxies form and evolve and how the universe has changed over cosmic time. One of the mission's major scientific goals is investigating dark energy, the mysterious phenomenon associated with the accelerated expansion of the universe.

Scientists know that the universe is expanding and that its expansion has been accelerating, but the underlying cause remains poorly understood. By observing enormous numbers of galaxies and other cosmic structures, Roman will help researchers measure the expansion history of the universe and test competing explanations for dark energy.

The observatory will also contribute to the study of dark matter, which does not emit, absorb or reflect light in the same way as ordinary matter. Its presence is inferred primarily from the gravitational effects it has on visible matter and light. Roman's observations will allow scientists to map the distribution of dark matter across large regions of the cosmos.

Such data could improve understanding of how galaxies and larger cosmic structures formed and provide clues about the nature of dark matter itself. Exoplanets will be another important part of the mission. Roman is expected to use a technique known as gravitational microlensing to detect planets orbiting stars far beyond our immediate neighbourhood.

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When the gravity of a foreground star bends and magnifies light from a more distant star, a planet around the foreground star can create a small additional change in the observed brightness. This method can reveal planets that are difficult to detect using techniques commonly employed by other space telescopes.

The telescope will also study stars and galaxies across a broad range of distances and wavelengths. Its observations could help scientists investigate the formation and evolution of galaxies, the population of stars in the Milky Way and transient events that change in brightness over relatively short periods. Because Roman will survey large areas of the sky, it is expected to generate vast quantities of data that researchers around the world can use for different areas of astronomy.

NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission is intended to complement, rather than replace, other major observatories, including the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble. Webb is optimised for detailed observations of individual objects and distant galaxies, while Roman's wide field of view will allow scientists to conduct large-scale surveys.

Together, these capabilities could provide a more comprehensive picture of the universe and help researchers investigate questions ranging from the nature of dark energy to the diversity of planetary systems.

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