NASA's Roman Space Telescope Sees Starlight for the First Time

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launched August 30, 2026, captured its first test image of stars, blurry as expected. The optics are not yet aligned, and the 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument detectors remain in their launch position. NASA estimates at least 22 years of fuel, versus the planned 10.

• First image taken en route to a point about 1 million miles from Earth
• Wide Field Instrument camera is 300 MP, infrared range
• Each frame will cover an area larger than the visible Moon
• First science images expected in early 2027