NASA launches its next-generation space telescope

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to survey hundreds of millions of stars and billions of galaxies. Its findings could unlock clues about dark energy and dark matter.

NASA on Sunday launched a next-generation telescope into space that is expected to survey hundreds of millions of stars and billions of galaxies. Its findings could also unlock clues about dark energy and dark matter, and some of the universe’s biggest enigmas.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off at 7:26 a.m. ET Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

The rocket emitted a massive plume of smoke upon departure as it soared into the sky.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Saturday.SpaceX / NASAA SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope on board launches Sunday from Kennedy Space Center.John Kraus / NASAThe observatory reached the speed of sound within one minute and had its first taste of space in just under five minutes, ascending to 62 miles above sea level. Both side core boosters that had helped propel the telescope into space separated from the core shortly after and successfully returned to Florida.

After 31 minutes and 41 seconds, the telescope successfully separated from the rocket and began flying free toward an orbit around the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, a gravitational balance spot about 1 million miles from Earth.