NASA opens media access for Roman Space Telescope arrival in Florida

NASA has opened registration for media to witness the arrival of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The observatory is scheduled to arrive aboard the Pegasus barge from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where teams completed its construction, assembly, and testing.

Credentialed US media may witness the unloading of the space telescope in its transport container at Kennedy’s turn basin. Following the unloading, technicians will move the telescope to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for launch processing. NASA subject matter experts will be available on-site to answer questions regarding the arrival.

Media interested in participating must apply for credentials by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 4. This opportunity is restricted to US citizens only. Approved applicants will receive a confirmation email, with additional information including the specific date of arrival activities to follow.

Named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is designed to provide a deep, panoramic view of the cosmos. The observatory will generate unprecedented images to revolutionise the understanding of the universe and showcase advanced technology for directly imaging planets around nearby stars.

The project is managed at NASA Goddard with participation from the Jet Property Laboratory, Caltech/IPAC, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and international partners including the European Space Agency, JAXA, CNES, and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy manages the launch service for the mission.

The telescope is scheduled to lift off as soon as early September on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A. The exact date of the arrival and unloading activities remains unconfirmed and will be communicated to approved media via email after the application deadline.