NASA’s Roman Telescope Enclosed in SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Fairing

NASA has completed the final preparations for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, placing the observatory inside a forty-three foot tall payload fairing on Friday, August twenty-first. As NASA Science tells it, the fairing will protect the spacecraft from heat and pressure during its ascent on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission is currently targeting a launch no earlier than seven twenty-six a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, August thirtieth. Once in space, researchers will use the telescope to study dark matter and search for exoplanets that may resemble those in our own solar system.

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