Washington: NASA is preparing to launch its next flagship space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, on Sunday in a mission designed to investigate some of the universe's biggest mysteries, including dark energy, dark matter and planets beyond our solar system.The approximately US$4 billion telescope is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, arriving nine months ahead of its original schedule.Roman follows in the footsteps of the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, and the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021. Scientists say its unique capabilities will complement both observatories while providing an unprecedented wide-field view of the universe.Mapping the universeRoman's main mission will involve surveying more than two billion galaxies, helping scientists understand how cosmic structures formed and evolved over billions of years.The telescope will examine how the universe has expanded over time, providing crucial data to help researchers understand the nature of dark energy and dark matter, which together make up about 95% of the universe.Julie McEnery, Roman's senior project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said the telescope's wide view and rapid survey capabilities will allow scientists to study the cosmos in ways not previously possible."Roman's vast reach will allow us to find the weird, the rare and the unusual," she said.Searching for answers about dark energyScientists believe the universe began roughly 13.8 billion years ago with the Big Bang and has been expanding ever since.In 1998, researchers discovered that this expansion is accelerating, leading to the theory of an unknown force called dark energy.Ordinary matter, including stars, planets and galaxies, accounts for only about 5% of the universe. Dark matter is estimated to make up 27%, while dark energy is thought to represent approximately 68%.Researchers hope Roman's observations will help answer whether dark energy remains constant or changes over time.Testing Einstein's theoryThe telescope will also help scientists test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, which has served as the foundation of modern understanding of gravity since 1915.By mapping how galaxies cluster and measuring how matter bends light through gravitational lensing, Roman will allow scientists to determine whether Einstein's theory still accurately describes gravity across billions of light-years.NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope stands after engineers and technicians working inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility mated the observatory to its payload adapter and a strut payload attach fitting, a specialized piece of hardware designed for large, heavy loads at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape, Canaveral, Florida, U.S. August 7, 2026. REUTERSResearchers say the findings could reveal whether new physics is needed to explain the universe on the largest scales.Hunt for new planetsRoman is also expected to make major contributions to the search for exoplanets, planets located outside Earth's solar system.More than 6,350 exoplanets have already been discovered, but Roman is expected to identify thousands more and provide the most comprehensive census yet of planetary systems similar to our own.The mission will also test new technology capable of directly imaging some nearby exoplanets.Five-year missionAfter launch, the telescope will travel to Lagrange Point 2 (L2), a location about 1.6 million kilometres from Earth, where the James Webb Space Telescope is also stationed.The mission is planned to last five years, although NASA believes the observatory may have enough fuel to continue operations for an additional five years.The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief astronomer, who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern space astronomy.
