NASA's Roman Space Telescope, originally a spy satellite, arrives at SpaceX hangar ahead of May 2027 launch

Published Aug 27, 10:55 AM UTC

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NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, originally built as a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), has been repurposed for astronomical research. The telescope, which features a 2.4-meter mirror similar to the Hubble Space Telescope but with a much wider field of view, aims to study dark energy, dark matter, and directly image exoplanets up to 1,000 times fainter than current limits. The telescope has been transported to a SpaceX hangar in preparation for its launch, currently scheduled for no earlier than May 2027. The mission represents a unique collaboration between intelligence and civilian space agencies, converting a classified surveillance asset into a powerful scientific observatory.

Source report

From spy satellite to space telescope: The unlikely origins of NASA's Roman Space Telescope — Space

Roman Space Telescope Mission — SpaceX

Roman Space Telescope Travels to SpaceX Hangar — NASA (.gov)

Roman telescope aims to directly image exoplanets 1,000 times fainter than current limits — Phys.org

With launch of Roman telescope, NASA hopes to unlock mystery of dark energy — The Washington Post

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NASA and SpaceX launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to study dark universe

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