SpaceX shows off Roman's Falcon Heavy rocket ride
SpaceX just gave us some good looks at the rocket that will carry NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to the final frontier this weekend.
That launcher is a Falcon Heavy, whose first stage consists of three modified, strapped-together Falcon 9 boosters. In an X post today (Aug. 26), SpaceX showed off that trio, which are currently in the hangar at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch Roman — which will hunt for exoplanets and shed light on mysterious dark matter and dark energy — from Pad 39A on Sunday (Aug. 30) at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT). You can watch the highly anticipated liftoff here at Space.com.
Roman arrives at SpaceX hangar before launch
Roman is one step closer to space! NASA transported the new space telescope inside its rocket fairing from the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to SpaceX's hanger at Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A).
The trip occurred overnight on Aug. 25, traveling in a caravan of vehicles to one its last Earthly destinations. Next, Roman and its protective fairings will be mated to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket and undergo final fit checks and tests before rolling out to the launch pad.
A Launch Readiness Review panel will be held by NASA and SpaceX on Friday (Aug. 28), to make a final determination for launch readiness. If everything goes according to plan, liftoff will proceed toward the scheduled 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT) target on Sunday (Aug. 30).
SpaceX seals Roman inside Falcon Heavy fairing ahead of Aug. 30 launch
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is one step closer to launch. SpaceX has sealed the bus-sized observatory inside the payload fairing of its Falcon Heavy rocket, the company announced today (Aug. 24). Everything remains on course for Roman to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida early on Sunday morning (Aug. 30).
After launch, it'll take Roman about 30 days to reach its distant destination — the sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, which lies about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth in the direction of Mars. After a roughly three-month checkout period, the scope will start observing the heavens — hunting for exoplanets and shedding light on dark matter and dark energy, among other tasks.
NASA's next great space telescope is almost ready to leave Earth.
Roman has spent the last several weeks undergoing its final launch preparations at KSC. Technicians loaded the observatory with 290 gallons (1,100 liters) of hydrazine fuel on July 25, then attached it to its payload adapter in early August.
Roman was recently encapsulated inside Falcon Heavy's payload fairing, and underwent a full launch-day dress rehearsal on Aug. 20. NASA, SpaceX and Roman mission managers then completed the mission's Flight Readiness Review on Aug. 21, formally clearing the observatory to begin its final launch preparations.
Next, the telescope, encapsulated in its payload fairings, will be transported to SpaceX's hangar at LC-39A, where it will be attached to Falcon Heavy rocket before the it rolls out to the pad for launch later this week.