The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA space-based observatory designed to conduct wide-field astronomical surveys in near-infrared and visible light. It operates from space to avoid atmospheric interference and is built around a 2.4-meter primary mirror. The observatory consists of a spacecraft bus that provides power, pointing, and communications, and a dedicated science payload that performs all astronomical observations.

The payload includes the telescope optical assembly and two integrated instruments mounted on an instrument carrier. The optical system collects and focuses incoming light and delivers it to both instruments. This payload assembly was fully integrated and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center prior to attachment to the spacecraft bus and final observatory-level testing.

The primary science instrument is the Wide Field Instrument (WFI), a 288-megapixel camera sensitive to near-infrared wavelengths. It is capable of both imaging and spectroscopy and captures large regions of the sky in a single observation, with each image covering an area larger than the apparent size of the full Moon. The WFI supports repeated and wide-area surveys and is expected to generate approximately 20 petabytes of data during the mission’s five-year primary science phase.

The second instrument is the Coronagraph Instrument, which serves as a technology demonstration for high-contrast imaging in space. It uses optical masks, deformable mirrors, and wavefront-control systems to reduce starlight and enable observation of much fainter nearby sources. The coronagraph operates in visible light and is planned to conduct a limited set of pre-defined observations totaling about three months during the first year and a half of mission operations.

Both instruments are mechanically and thermally integrated with the telescope optics to maintain precise alignment. After full assembly, the payload undergoes environmental and performance testing before launch preparations. Scientific data produced by the payload instruments are archived and released publicly by NASA with no exclusive access period.

Caption courtesy of NASA. Photo courtesy of NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya

Falcon Heavy is designed and manufactured by SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. It is derived from the Falcon 9 vehicle and consists of a strengthened Falcon 9 first stage as a central core with two additional first stages as strap-on boosters.

Stats

Total launches: 11

Total landings: 19

Total reflights: 16

Specs

Height: 70m / 229.6ft

Width: 12.2m / 39.9ft

Mass: 1,420,788kg / 3,125,735lb

Payload to LEO: 63,800 kg / 140,660 lb

Payload to GEO: 26,700 kg / 58,860 lb

Payload to Mars: 16,800 kg / 37,040 lb

Lineage

SpaceX conducted Falcon Heavy's first launch on February 6th, 2018, at 3:45 PM EST. The rocket carried a Tesla Roadster belonging to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, with a dummy dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat.

The second Falcon Heavy launch occurred on April 11th, 2019. This launch successfully launched the Arabsat-6A satellite and all three booster rockets successfully returned to Earth except but the center core subsequently fell over and was lost during transport due to heavy seas.

The third Falcon Heavy launch successfully occurred on June 25th, 2019. This mission successfully launched multiple payloads including USAF STP-2, a space memorial for Celestis, and Lightsail-2. The mission also supported the U.S. Air Force National Security Space Launch certification process for the Falcon Heavy. The side boosters were successfully recovered but the center core failed to land and was destroyed on impact with the Atlantic Ocean.

The fourth Falcon Heavy mission, USSF-44 for the U.S. Space Force, successfully launched on November 1st, 2022 from Kennedy Space Center.

The fifth Falcon Heavy mission launched USSF-67 on January 15th, 2023.

The soxth Falcon Heavy mission launched ViaSat-3 Americas on April 30th, 2023.

The seventh Falcon Heavy mission launched EchoStar 24 (Jupiter 3) on July 28th, 2023.

The eighth Falcon Heavy mission launched Psyche on October 13th, 2023.

Photo by SpaceX/Ben Cooper

Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is a historic launch site located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Originally constructed in the late 1960s, LC-39A was designed to support the Apollo program, including the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission that first landed humans on the Moon in 1969. The pad also played a crucial role in launching Skylab missions and was instrumental during the Space Shuttle era, including the launch of the first Space Shuttle, Columbia, on STS-1 in 1981.

In 2014, SpaceX leased LC-39A from NASA and undertook extensive refurbishments to adapt the pad for its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. These upgrades involved significant modifications to the pad's infrastructure to meet the requirements of SpaceX’s rockets. Since then, LC-39A has become a vital launch site for SpaceX, supporting a range of missions including crewed flights under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Under SpaceX's management, LC-39A has been the site of several landmark events. It hosted the first Falcon 9 launch from the pad on March 30, 2017, and was the launch site for the historic Falcon Heavy debut on February 6, 2018, which was the most powerful rocket in operation at that time. Additionally, LC-39A was the launch site for the first crewed flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft on May 30, 2020, marking the first crewed spaceflight from U.S. soil since the end of the Shuttle program.

Today, LC-39A remains a critical asset for SpaceX, supporting both crewed and uncrewed missions. It continues to serve as a launch site for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and is expected to play a central role in future missions, including those aimed at lunar exploration and beyond. The pad's rich history and ongoing significance highlight its importance in the broader context of space exploration.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Hautmann for Supercluster

SpaceX will discard all three Falcon 9 first stages, likely due to the heavy payload or the need for maximum power to achieve the correct orbit.

To further reduce weight, the rocket's landing legs and grid fins will be removed, maximizing performance.