// NASA BREAKING NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
What Is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope? (Grades 5-8)
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s newest astrophysics observatory. The telescope will scan large sections of space. Roman will help astronomers answer questions about dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, and more.
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Astrophysics: a branch of space science that applies physics and mathematics to study the universe.
Lagrange point: a position in space where the gravitational forces of a two-body system, such as the Sun and Earth, are balanced. This point creates an “orbital parking spot” where minimal fuel is needed to maintain a spacecraft’s position.
Infrared light: light that is completely invisible to the human eye but can be felt as heat. It’s the area on the electromagnetic spectrum where wavelengths are longer than visible red light, but shorter than microwaves.
Dark energy: the mysterious force that is causing the universe to expand at an accelerated rate.
Dark matter: the mysterious gravitational “glue” that holds cosmic structures together.
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The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch Aug. 30, 2026. It will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Liftoff will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will orbit about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from Earth. It will orbit around a special place in space called the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2. This gravitational sweet spot is perfect for unobstructed views of the universe.