Roman-Space-Telescope

As I write this, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is bolted to the top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy at Launch Complex 39A in Florida, and the countdown is running. Liftoff is set for 07:26 EDT: 11:26 UTC, or 14:26 here in Nicosia. NASA’s live coverage starts at 10:20 UTC on NASA+ and YouTube. If weather or a last-minute hold gets in the way, the backup window opens tomorrow morning at 11:22 UTC. ...

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope reached Kennedy Space Center on June 21, arriving by barge at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin, the same channel that once floated Saturn V and Shuttle hardware to the pad. It’s now in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility being prepped for a Falcon Heavy launch no earlier than August 30, roughly eight months ahead of its original schedule. That last detail is rare enough for a flagship NASA mission to deserve its own headline. ...