Nancy Grace Roman Telescope live updates: Roman and Falcon Heavy delivered to launch pad

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Credit: Sydney Rohde (Rocz)

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA's next great observatory poised to lead humanity's next generation of astronomical discoveries. The Roman Space Telescope will research the mysteries of dark energy, search for exoplanets and investigate the physics of distant stars.

SpaceX will launch Roman on a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT) on Sunday, Aug. 30. from Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A). Follow this blog for live updates as Roman is prepped for launch and delievered to space for a brand new mission of discovery.

Nancy G. Roman Space Telescope | Falcon Heavy

August 24, 2026 – 7:45 AM

Credit: NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz)

Roman has spent the last several weeks undergoing its final launch preparations at KSC. Technicians loaded the observatory with 290 gallons (1,100 liters) of hydrazine fuel on July 25, then attached it to its payload adapter in early August.

Roman was recently encapsulated inside Falcon Heavy's payload fairing, and underwent a full launch-day dress rehearsal on Aug. 20. NASA, SpaceX and Roman mission managers then completed the mission's Flight Readiness Review on Aug. 21, formally clearing the observatory to begin its final launch preparations.

Next, the telescope, encapsulated in its payload fairings, will be transported to SpaceX's hangar at LC-39A, where it will be attached to Falcon Heavy rocket before the it rolls out to the pad for launch later this week.

August 24, 2026 – 3:36 PM

Credit: SpaceX

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is one step closer to launch. SpaceX has sealed the bus-sized observatory inside the payload fairing of its Falcon Heavy rocket, the company announced today (Aug. 24). Everything remains on course for Roman to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida early on Sunday morning (Aug. 30).

After launch, it'll take Roman about 30 days to reach its distant destination — the sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, which lies about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth in the direction of Mars. After a roughly three-month checkout period, the scope will start observing the heavens — hunting for exoplanets and shedding light on dark matter and dark energy, among other tasks.

August 26, 2026 – 6:40 AM

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, encapsulated in its payload fairing, travels from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, ahead of mating to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. | Credit: Sydney Rohde (Rocz)

Roman is one step closer to space! NASA transported the new space telescope inside its rocket fairing from the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to SpaceX's hanger at Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A).

The trip occurred overnight on Aug. 25, traveling in a caravan of vehicles to one its last Earthly destinations. Next, Roman and its protective fairings will be mated to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket and undergo final fit checks and tests before rolling out to the launch pad.

A Launch Readiness Review panel will be held by NASA and SpaceX on Friday (Aug. 28), to make a final determination for launch readiness. If everything goes according to plan, liftoff will proceed toward the scheduled 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT) target on Sunday (Aug. 30).

August 26, 2026 – 2:09 PM

The three first-stage boosters of the Falcon Heavy rocket that will launch NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Aug. 30, 2026. SpaceX shared this photo via X on Aug. 26. | Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX just gave us some good looks at the rocket that will carry NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to the final frontier this weekend.

That launcher is a Falcon Heavy, whose first stage consists of three modified, strapped-together Falcon 9 boosters. In an X post today (Aug. 26), SpaceX showed off that trio, which are currently in the hangar at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch Roman — which will hunt for exoplanets and shed light on mysterious dark matter and dark energy — from Pad 39A on Sunday (Aug. 30) at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT). You can watch the highly anticipated liftoff here at Space.com.

August 28, 2026 – 11:39 AM

Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

It is now under 48 hours until the scheduled launch of NASA's Roman Space Telescope. Liftoff from Launch Complex-39A is planned for Sunday (Aug. 30) at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT).

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will deliver Roman to Earth-Sun Lagrange point-2, a stationary sweet spot about 930,000 miles away that will keep the satellite in a persistant orbit on the side of Earth opposite the sun.

Weather Sunday morning is leaning toward favorable launch conditions, with a small chance of showers or thunderstorms during the 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) hour. Clouds and lightning will be the primary weather concerns, but conditions are expected to deteriorate more later in the day, giving Roman's early-morning attempt a better shot of getting of the ground.

If weather conditions worsen or Sunday's launch is delayed, another window opens Monday (Aug. 31) at 7:22 a.m. EDT (1122 GMT).

August 28, 2026 – 7:33 PM

The three first-stage boosters of the Falcon Heavy rocket that will launch NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: SpaceX

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is officially "go" for launch! NASA made the announcement this afternoon (Aug. 28), after wrapping up the mission's Launch Readiness Review at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

SpaceX was part of that review, because Roman will lift off atop one of the company's Falcon Heavy rockets. Launch is scheduled to occur on Sunday (Aug. 30) at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT) from KSC's Launch Complex-39A. You can watch it all live here at Space.com when the time comes.

August 29, 2026 – 8:47 AM

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket stands at lc-39a for NASA's Psyche mission, Oct. 11, 2023. | Credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — With less than 24 until launch, SpaceX has raised Falcon Heavy with NASA's Roman Space Telescope at Launch Complex-39A ahead of tomorrow's 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT).

Today, NASA will host a handful of press conferences and interviews leading up to the mission. At 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), members of Romans' science team will provide a mission overview to discuss the telescope's instruments and discoveries ahead. A prelaunch press briefing will take place at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT), which will provide the most up-to-date weather predictions for tomorrow's liftoff, as well as a status update on the rocket's progress in reaching the pad.

Both briefings will stream live on the Space.com homepage, as well as directly on NASA's website. Stay tuned for more updates as we track Roman's last day before launch!