A significant event in space exploration occurred on August 30, when SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket sent a new astronomy milestone into space. The scientific community and astronomy enthusiasts closely followed the mission.
SpaceX has confirmed that it has successfully launched the NASA Roman Space Telescope. Liftoff aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket took place at 7:26 am (US daylight time, 11:26 am GMT) on the aforementioned date.
NASA’s long-awaited observatory, the Roman Space Telescope, has finally been sent into space. For those who wanted to follow the moment, the live broadcast was available from the beginning of that August 30th.
Named in honor of renowned astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s telescope set out on a mission that promises to map the galaxy in a way never seen before, taking off from an agency platform in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
NASA said in an Aug. 28 statement after approving the launch that “Roman’s wide and deep scans will help investigate dark energy and dark matter, discover and characterize planets beyond our solar system, map billions of galaxies, study black holes, and share enormous amounts of data with scientists and the public.”
Details about the time NASA’s Roman Space Telescope was launched by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, and how the public could follow the event online, have been released.
SpaceX Roman Space Telescope Launch Time Details
SpaceX has scheduled the launch of NASA’s Roman Space Telescope for August 30 at 7:26 am (US DST, 11:26 am GMT).
The company launched Roman into space with the Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The live broadcast began an hour before takeoff.
SpaceX, while confident of an August 30th launch, maintained an alternative date of August 31st. Takeoff, if necessary, was scheduled for a few minutes earlier, at 7:22 am (US daylight saving time).
How the public was able to watch the launch of the Roman telescope
The launch of SpaceX’s Roman Telescope was broadcast, and several options were available to follow the event.
NASA made a webcast of the launch available on the morning of August 30. This live stream started at 6:20am (US Daylight Savings Time, 10:20am GMT) and covered the launch and post-event press conference.
SpaceX also streamed the launch live through its X platform account, with coverage beginning about an hour before liftoff.
As planned, SpaceX launched Roman for NASA at 7:26 am (US daylight time, 11:26 am GMT), with a flight that lasted approximately 31 minutes and 31 seconds, the expected time for the telescope’s deployment into space.
A post-launch press conference was scheduled for 9:30am (US Daylight Time, 1:30pm GMT) and was attended by the experts listed below.
- Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator
- Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Jackie Townsend, Roman Telescope Project Manager, NASA Goddard
- Julie McEnery, Roman Telescope Senior Project Scientist, NASA Goddard
- Denton Gibson, Launch Director, NASA Launch Services Program, NASA Kennedy
Total flight time of the Roman telescope after SpaceX launch
The launch of SpaceX’s Roman Space Telescope for NASA lasted just over 31 minutes (exactly 31 minutes and 31 seconds), the time needed to send the observatory into deep space.
After liftoff, the Falcon Heavy rocket’s central booster and two side boosters operated for just under 2.5 minutes. The side thrusters then separated and returned to Earth, with a successful landing expected at about 7 minutes and 23 seconds after launch.
SpaceX said in a mission overview that “This is the first and third mission for the two side boosters supporting this mission, which have previously launched the GOES-U and Viasat-3 F3 missions.” The company added that “After stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land in Landing Zones 2 and 40 (LZ-2 and LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.” There was no planning for a deep-sea landing of the central booster for this flight.
Below is the complete launch and flight timeline, as released by SpaceX.
Preparations and sequence before liftoff of the Roman Space Telescope
- T-0:53:00 – Flight director poll for refueling
- T-0:50:00 – First stage RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
- T-0:45:00 – First stage liquid oxygen loading begins
- T-0:35:00 – Start of second stage RP-1 fuel loading
- T-0:18:30 – Start of second stage liquid oxygen loading
- T-0:07:00 – Falcon Heavy engine cooling begins
- T-00:00:59 – Flight computer commands the start of final pre-launch checks
- T-00:00:45 – Launch director gives GO for launch probe
- T-00:00:20 – Pressurized propellant tanks for flight
- T-00:00:06 – Engine controller commands the start of the engine ignition sequence
- T-00:00:00 – Takeoff
Steps and events after the successful launch of the Roman space telescope
- T+00:00:00 – Takeoff!
- T+00:01:08 – “Max Q” (point of maximum dynamic pressure)
- T+00:02:24 – Side thruster engines turned off
- T+00:02:27 – Side thrusters separate
- T+00:02:32 – Side thrusters rotate
- T+00:02:43 – Burning of return impulse from side thrusters begins
- T+00:03:48 – Return impulse burn from side thrusters ends
- T+00:03:51 – First stage main engine shutdown
- T+00:03:54 – Separation of the first stage from the upper stage
- T+00:04:00 – Second stage engine ignition
- T+00:04:15 – Payload fairing separation
- T+00:06:19 – Side thrusters inlet burn begins
- T+00:06:29 – Side thrusters inlet burn ends
- T+00:07:23 – Side thruster landing burn begins
- T+00:07:40 – Landing! Side thrusters land
- T+00:08:28 – Second stage engine shutdown (SECO-1)
- T+00:24:33 – Second stage engine restart (SES-2)
- T+00:26:33 – Second stage engine shutdown (SECO-2)
- T+00:31:31 – Roman space telescope is deployed
Falcon Heavy’s upper stage kept its engine running until the 8 minute and 28 second mark, then shut down for a 16-minute cruise period. Just over 24 minutes into the flight, the second stage restarted its single Merlin engine for approximately three minutes before definitively deactivating.
The Roman Space Telescope was then released from its transporter at 31 minutes and 31 seconds. Its solar panels and sunshade are expected to unfold quickly, and in the following days, the antenna and opening lid will be extended, while a course correction will be carried out en route to its final destination: Lagrange Point 2, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, on the opposite side of the Sun.
NASA stated regarding the mission’s future steps that “The Roman team will complete a carefully orchestrated series of deployments, calibrations, and tests in the three months following launch, before the observatory reaches its final orbit.”
What was predicted if Roman’s launch did not occur on the initial date
SpaceX and NASA had prepared a reserve day for a new attempt in case the launch of the Roman Space Telescope had not taken place on August 30, as planned.
A second launch window was scheduled for August 31, at 7:22 am (US daylight time), according to SpaceX.
NASA noted in an Aug. 28 update that “Meteorologists with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 Weather Squadron predicted a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch, scheduled for 7:26 a.m. EDT Aug. 30, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.”
