Less than 24 hours before liftoff, SpaceX rolled the Falcon Heavy with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope onto Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center ahead of a planned Sunday morning launch on Aug. 30, 2026, at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT). NASA declared the mission “go” after a Launch Readiness Review on Aug. 28, and managers say the vehicle and payload are ready for the final countdown.
Today NASA will hold a science briefing at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) and a prelaunch news conference at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT); both events will stream live on Space.com and NASA’s live channels and will provide the latest weather forecast and status updates from mission teams. SpaceX has already shared images of the Falcon Heavy’s three first-stage boosters, which are assembled for the launch at LC‑39A.
Roman was loaded with roughly 290 gallons (about 1,100 liters) of hydrazine propellant on July 25 and was attached to its payload adapter in early August. The telescope was encapsulated inside Falcon Heavy’s payload fairing later in August, underwent a launch‑day dress rehearsal on Aug. 20, and passed a formal Flight Readiness Review on Aug. 21. On Aug. 25 the encapsulated observatory was transported from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to the SpaceX hangar at LC‑39A for final mating and checks.
If all goes according to plan, Falcon Heavy will deliver Roman on a trajectory to the Sun–Earth Lagrange point L2, a stable spot about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth. The spacecraft is expected to take roughly 30 days to reach L2; after an approximately three‑month checkout and calibration period it will begin its science program to search for exoplanets and study dark matter and dark energy.
Morning conditions on Sunday currently favor an early attempt, with a small chance of showers or thunderstorms near the 7 a.m. EDT window; the primary concerns are clouds and lightning. If weather or technical issues force a delay, a backup opportunity is available on Monday, Aug. 31, at 7:22 a.m. EDT (1122 GMT). Stay tuned to NASA and SpaceX feeds for live launch coverage and any last‑minute changes.
Original Source: https://www.space.com/news/live/nancy-grace-roman-telescope-live-updates-nasa-readies-roman-for-launch-august-29-2026
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Publish Date: 2026-08-30 03:42:00
