Goddard Space Flight Center

08/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/21/2026 12:44

Teams Complete Flight Readiness Review for NASA’s Roman Telescope

Mission managers from NASA, the agency's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and SpaceX conducted a Flight Readiness Review Friday, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Teams provided updates and reviewed the mission's status before certifying that the mission is ready to begin final launch preparation activities. NASA and SpaceX are targeting Roman's launch no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.

In the coming days, teams will transport the Roman observatory, encapsulated in Falcon Heavy's fairing, to SpaceX's hangar at pad 39A, where technicians will attach it to the rocket before sending it out to the launch pad.

Roman, NASA's newest space telescope, will change the way we see the universe and settle essential questions in astronomy, helping researchers understand how the universe has changed over time, what drives its expansion, and the worlds that exist beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets.

Stay updated with the latest on the Roman mission:

nasa.gov/roman

Elyna Niles-Carnes

Goddard Space Flight Center published this content on August 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 21, 2026 at 18:44 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]