TheTechno Optimist.

Nancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeNASA—Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches on Falcon Heavy to Sun-Earth L2Space Launch System (SLS)NASA—Artemis II launches with four astronauts on lunar flybyNASA—NASA cancels Lunar Gateway orbital station, prioritizing lunar surface base insteadArtemis Lunar Surface BaseNASA—NASA cancels Gateway orbital station, commits $20B to permanent Moon baseNASA—NASA tests next-generation heat shields on a university-built reentry probe riding a cargo shipX-59 QueSSTNASA—X-59 reaches supersonic speed at Mach 1.1, a milestone toward quiet boom demonstrationsSR-1 Freedom (Space Reactor-1)NASA—NASA announces SR-1 Freedom, a reactor-powered spacecraft to launch to Mars in 2028Artemis Lunar Surface BaseNASA—NASA awards Moon Base contracts: $219M Astrolab, $220M Lunar Outpost, $188M Blue Origin, $75M FireflyX-59 QueSSTNASA—NASA X-59 completes second flight, beginning dozens of test flights in 2026SR-1 Freedom (Space Reactor-1)NASA—SR-1 Freedom cost put at $2.1 billion, excluding its Mars helicopters

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

by NASAUS

Map dark energy's effects on cosmic expansion and directly image distant exoplanets to advance understanding of the universe and planetary systems.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Launched 30 Aug 2026 on Falcon Heavy to L2. Deploying and commissioning; surveys beginning.

Updated 30 Aug 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Deployment and commissioning at L2
  1. Project start and design phase2009Complete.
  2. Hardware assembly and testing2025Complete.
  3. Launch on Falcon Heavy30 Aug 2026Complete.
  4. Deployment and commissioning at L2Target Oct 2026Current milestone.
  5. Science operations beginTarget Q4 2026Not yet reached.

Most important, last 3 months

Upcoming

  1. Oct 2026Deployment and commissioning at L2 (next)
  2. Q4 2026Science operations begin
  3. Q4 2026Initial dark energy survey observations
  4. Q1 2027First exoplanet coronagraph images released
Primer