John Paul M. Joaquin Science 07.21.2022 00:Jul AM EDT

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket Chosen to Launch NASA’s Roman Space Telescope

NASA wants SpaceX to help reach space in another mission.

The space agency recently announced it had awarded Elon Musk's SpaceX with a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract to provide launch service for its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

NASA hopes that the Roman Space Telescope would shed light on the secrets and mysteries of dark energy, dark matter, and other astrophysics and planetary science topics that have baffled experts for years, per NASA.

NASA SpaceX Roman Space Telescope Launch Services Contrat Details

NASA mentioned in announcement it has contracted SpaceX to send its Nancy Gace Roman Space Telescope to space using one of its Falcon Heavy rockets from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As part of the NLS II contract, NASA has paid SpaceX approximately $255 million, which is expected to cover the launch service and other mission-related costs.

The contract is also an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, which is defined by the US General Services Administration as agreements that provide for an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed time.

Using this definition, NASA may want SpaceX to send multiple Roman Space Telescopes to Earth's orbit in a specific period, though the space agency didn't specify when this period would end.

The space agency has also set the space telescope's launch to Earth's L2 orbit sometime in October 2026.

Although NASA didn't mention why it specifically wanted SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rockets to bring its Roman Space Telescope into space, a report from Space.com said that NASA wanted the rocket's ability to carry extra fuel.

This extra fuel may yet prove useful to NASA's plans as it wants to have the space telescope to be flown to a distant orbit known as Lagrange 2 (L2), which is around 930,000 miles away from Earth.

NASA's Roman Space Telescope won't be alone in that orbit - the James Webb Space Telescope also utilizes the L2 orbit to get the pictures it needs.

Additionally, the Roman Space Telescope is the top-priority large space mission recommended by the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, making it critically important in the field of astronomy and science in general.

Due to the orbit's distance and the mission's importance, NASA seems to feel that having extra fuel for the trip is critical for the Roman Space Telescope's success.

NASA Nancy Grace Space Telescope Facts

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, formerly known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, is a next-generation observatory that creates panoramas of the universe to reveal its secrets, according to NASA.

The agency wants to use the space telescope to uncover secrets about dark energy and dark matter, planets outside our solar system, and various other astrophysics and planetary science topics.

The space telescope's field of view enables the mission to create infrared images 200 times larger than what Hubble can produce while providing the same level of detail.

Additionally, NASA stated that the Roman Space Telescope could act as an exoplanet scout for the James Webb Space Telescope to see in higher definition once it is commissioned and securely situated in Earth's L2 orbit.