US Space agency NASA has renamed its Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, the US space agency’s first chief astronomer, who paved the way for space telescopes focused on the broader universe.
The WFIRST Telescope will now be called Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (or Roman Space Telescope, for short). It is set to be launched in the mid-2020s.
Dr. Nancy Roman is considered as the Mother of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched 30 years ago. It was because of Nancy Grace Roman’s leadership and vision that NASA became a pioneer in astrophysics and launched Hubble, the world’s most powerful and productive space telescope
The Roman Space Telescope will investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as the force behind the universe’s expansion, and search for distant planets beyond our solar system.
It will be the successor to NASA’s Hubble and Webb Telescopes.