Ranking Members Lofgren, Foushee Congratulate NASA and Partners After Successful Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Launch
(Washington, DC) — Today, NASA, in partnership with SpaceX, successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Named for NASA's first chief astronomer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, or “Roman,” is NASA’s newest flagship observatory. It is designed to explore the universe, addressing some of the most important science questions identified by the astronomy community. Roman was the top priority large mission of the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. One exposure from Roman’s primary instrument will capture over 100 times the area of the sky as an exposure from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
“Congratulations to NASA and its partners on this outstanding achievement,” said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren. “The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will give humanity a grand encompassing view of our galaxy and will shape the next generation of space exploration. It is because of sustained federal support that we are able to achieve missions of such magnitude. This launch would not have been possible without the thousands of employees supporting the Roman mission across NASA’s centers who have been working tirelessly to make this mission a success. I thank them for their dedication. Roman will allow scientists to explore never before seen galaxies, investigate dark matter and black holes, and catalogue new planets around stars outside of our own solar system. I look forward to closely following Roman’s journey to its final orbit and the commissioning of the observatory ahead of starting science operations.”
“Today’s successful launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is a historic achievement," said Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Ranking Member Valerie Foushee. “Roman will usher in a new age of scientific discovery in space and expand our understanding of the universe. I want to congratulate the Roman team at NASA Goddard and the many other NASA, contractor, and academic partners for their hard work and dedication in getting us to this successful launch today. I am especially proud of the scientists at Duke University and North Carolina Central University in my District whose contributions to Roman helped make this mission possible. North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District has always been a hotbed for innovation and that commitment to excellence is now traveling from the Research Triangle to the stars. Flagship missions like Roman are what make NASA the premier space agency in the world. The possibilities for discovery are endless when we invest in science.”
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