All articles tagged with #space telescopes
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is en route to the Sun-Earth L2 point, where it will join the James Webb Space Telescope. While Webb excels at high-resolution, narrow-field imaging, Roman features a wide field of view to survey large sky patches and detect new objects. Roman’s coronagraph will also enable detailed exoplanet observations by blocking starlight.
NASA has selected the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) as the first mission in a new 'Probe Explorer' class, targeting a 2033 launch. Managed by JPL with international partners, the $1.2 billion observatory will bridge the gap between the James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes using advanced detectors developed over three decades.
NASA has selected the PRIMA mission to become the first in a new 'Probe Explorer' class, advancing to Phase B development with a 2033 launch target. The $1.2 billion far-infrared telescope, managed by JPL, will bridge the observational gap between the James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes. It features a 1.8-meter cryogenically cooled telescope and advanced detectors developed over three decades by Caltech and JPL, aiming to study galaxy evolution, black holes, and exoplanet atmospheres with unprecedented sensitivity.
Astronomers have identified GRB 250702B, a gamma-ray burst lasting approximately 25,000 seconds, which shatters previous duration records. This seven-hour signal is believed to result from a rare helium merger event, where a stellar-mass black hole consumed a stripped helium star from the inside. While traditional bursts stem from collapsing stars or neutron star mergers, this extended duration suggests a distinct astrophysical process. Detecting such long, dim signals remains challenging for current telescopes, but the upcoming COSI telescope, scheduled for launch in 2027, aims to improve detection capabilities for these rare events.
NASA is launching the $4 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, an infrared observatory that will orbit at L2 after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. Equipped with a 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument and a coronagraph, Roman will survey about 12% of the sky with images far sharper than Hubble, enabling three main goals: map dark matter via weak gravitational lensing, measure the expansion of the universe with distant supernovae, and hunt for exoplanets—using microlensing and direct imaging—to study galaxy clustering, cosmic history, and dark energy. The mission will generate a massive data set as it looks for worlds and seeks clues to fundamental questions in astrophysics.
NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a future space telescope to study rocky, Earth-like planets, is being designed as serviceable in space—likely via robotics at the Sun–Earth L2 point about a million miles away—so instruments and detectors can be swapped and upgraded over time (including gamma-ray detectors). Building on Hubble’s servicing model, the plan could even involve in-space assembly if needed, with the mission still in early design stages and a launch target in the 2040s.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center aboard the Pegasus barge for a ~70‑day prelaunch campaign at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility ahead of an Aug. 30 launch from Launch Complex 39A on a Falcon Heavy. The 43‑foot observatory, designed to operate at L2 about 1.5 million km from Earth with a 300‑megapixel Wide Field Instrument and a chronograph for exoplanets, will survey the universe far faster and wider than Hubble and is expected to last 5–10+ years with propellant after a cooling hiccup en route.
NASA has reconfigured the Hubble Space Telescope to operate on a single healthy gyroscope, preserving two spare units to extend its life into the mid‑2030s after gyro faults and a 2024 safe mode. The one‑gyro mode, developed in the 2000s, slows slews and restricts targets (notably near Mars and Earth‑bound observations), reducing scheduling efficiency by about 12% and overall scientific productivity by roughly 20–25%. The root cause is corrosion of gyro fluid; there are no funded plans to replace gyros or pursue servicing. Hubble now sits alongside JWST and the Roman Space Telescope in a complementary lineup, continuing science until it gradually winds down.
2026 is poised to reshape space exploration: NASA plans Artemis II to circle the Moon, India presses ahead with the Gaganyaan program and China expands its crewed missions, while flagship telescopes like NASA’s Roman Space Telescope, ESA’s PLATO and China’s Xuntian, plus the Vera Rubin Observatory on the ground, aim to map the cosmos and probe dark matter and dark energy. International cooperation continues even as competition heats up, with joint efforts such as SMILE illustrating a shared drive to understand the Moon’s origins, lunar water resources, and the broader evolution of the solar system.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory captured images of two galaxies, IC 2163 and NGC 2207, beginning to collide, providing insights into galaxy mergers and evolution over cosmic timescales.
The 247th American Astronomical Society meeting in Phoenix, dubbed the 'Super Bowl of astronomy,' features new discoveries, debates, and future plans in space science, including insights from JWST, Hubble, and ALMA, and discussions on upcoming missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a rogue planet, roughly the size of Saturn, located about 10,000 light-years from Earth, using gravitational microlensing techniques that also allowed them to determine its distance and mass, providing new insights into these starless worlds.
Astronomers captured the first direct images of collisions between large objects in a nearby star system, Fomalhaut, providing insights into planet formation and the behavior of planetesimals, with observations suggesting these icy bodies are similar to solar system comets. The study highlights the importance of understanding dust clouds and collisions in young planetary systems to distinguish them from planets.
A new NASA-led study warns that the increasing number of communication satellites in low Earth orbit could significantly interfere with space telescopes like Hubble, with nearly 40% of Hubble's images and up to 96% of other telescopes' images potentially affected by satellite light pollution, prompting calls for mitigation strategies.
A surge in satellite launches is brightening the night sky and obstructing astronomers' ability to study distant galaxies, raising concerns over space regulation and the impact on scientific research, with projections of up to 500,000 satellites orbiting by the 2030s.