Moment Rocket Blasts Off From Launchpad As NASA Launches New Dark Matter Telescope Into Space

This is the moment a Falcon Heavy rocket blasts off carrying a new NASA telescope built to hunt for dark matter.

NASA footage obtained on 1st September shows the launch from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida.

The video shows the rocket lifting off the pad and climbing away through the morning sky.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope went up at 7.26am local time on Sunday, 30th August, from Launch Complex 39A.

It separated from the rocket's upper stage 31 minutes into the flight and is now on a three-month journey to its observing position.

That point, known as Lagrange Point 2, lies about 1.5 million kilometres (930,000 miles) from Earth in the direction opposite the Sun.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said: "Now, Roman will give us a new atlas of the universe, push the boundaries of discovery, and demonstrate what is possible when America's space program pairs bold ambition with disciplined execution."

The telescope cost USD 4 billion (GBP 2.9 billion) and took two decades to build, arriving ahead of schedule and within budget.

It is named after NASA's first chief astronomer, who is regarded as the mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Roman will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble's and is designed to survey the sky a thousand times faster.

Its main instrument is a 300-megapixel infrared camera, whose 18 detectors are each about the size of a cracker.

Julie McEnery, the mission's senior project scientist, said: "We've never been able to view the universe with eyes like Roman's before. There's no telling what more we'll know and have seen by this time next year."

The telescope will spend three months being calibrated before NASA releases its first images early in 2027, after which it will send back 1.4 terabytes of data a day.

NASA said: "Roman is on her way, and the Golden Age of Discovery is just the beginning."

(Joe Golder/Clipzilla/NX)