NASA says its Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will launch on a Falcon Heavy rocket in October 2026. Contract is valued at $255 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs.
NASA has selected Falcon Heavy to launch the Roman Space Telescope, which is designed to study dark energy and dark matter, search for and image exoplanets, and more. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than October 2026 from Launch Complex 39A in Florida
Jul 19, 2022CONTRACT RELEASE C22-015NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space TelescopeNASA has awarded a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, California, to provide launch service for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission. The Roman Space Telescope is the top-priority large space mission recommended by the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey.NLS II is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The total cost for NASA to launch the Roman telescope is approximately $255 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs. The telescope’s mission currently is targeted to launch in October 2026, as specified in the contract, on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The telescope’s science program will include dedicated investigations to tackle outstanding questions in cosmology, including the effects of dark energy and dark matter, and exoplanet exploration. Roman also includes a substantial general investigator program to enable further studies of astrophysical phenomena to advance other science goals.The telescope was previously known as the Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST), but it was later renamed in honor of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman for her extraordinary work at NASA, which paved the way for large space telescopes.NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SpaceX launch service. The Roman Space Telescope project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit:https://www.nasa.gov-end-
A high-resolution illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against a starry background.Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
May 2027 is the formal launch commitment date (no later than) for Roman, but the target is still October 2026.
Would this launch require an extended fairing?
Quote from: tyrred on 07/19/2022 09:24 pmWould this launch require an extended fairing? Quote from: tyrred on 07/19/2022 09:24 pmWould this launch require an extended fairing? It might given FIA/KH spacecraft heritage however the finalised spacecraft dimensions i cannot locate however I would ballpark compare it between Herschel and Hubble.
Why is this launch so expensive ($255M)? IIRC a fully expended Falcon Heavy launch is ~$150M and if there's reuse that lowers prices. IIRC previous NASA Falcon launches have been priced ~$50M more than usual due to government paperwork. Is there $100M of extra paperwork for this launch?
Can't find the standard Falcon payload fairing dimensions at the moment, my Google-fu is weak on mobile. Anyone else have those numbers?
Quote from: russianhalo117 on 07/19/2022 10:19 pmQuote from: tyrred on 07/19/2022 09:24 pmWould this launch require an extended fairing? Quote from: tyrred on 07/19/2022 09:24 pmWould this launch require an extended fairing? It might given FIA/KH spacecraft heritage however the finalised spacecraft dimensions i cannot locate however I would ballpark compare it between Herschel and Hubble.Ok. Dimensions via Wikipedia (sans payload adaptors) :Herschel: 7.5 m × 4.0 m (25 ft × 13 ft)Hubble: 13.2 m × 4.2 m (43 ft × 14 ft)Can't find the standard Falcon payload fairing dimensions at the moment, my Google-fu is weak on mobile. Anyone else have those numbers? Can't find Falcon
Quote from: deltaV on 07/19/2022 10:37 pmWhy is this launch so expensive ($255M)? IIRC a fully expended Falcon Heavy launch is ~$150M and if there's reuse that lowers prices. IIRC previous NASA Falcon launches have been priced ~$50M more than usual due to government paperwork. Is there $100M of extra paperwork for this launch?Possible, but unlikely, reason being NASA going halfsies on the proposed NSL supporting LC-39A VIF with the NRO?
I am assuming NASA would want to launch this on a US rocket, given this is much less an international project compared to JWST. Tory stated earlier this year that ULA would not bid Vulcan for this mission, leaving only SpaceX and possibly Blue Origin if they choose to bid. Given that SpaceX becomes the default, and maybe only logical choice in this circumstance, why not grab some extra money for an almost guaranteed contract?
Quote from: spacenuance on 07/19/2022 11:12 pmI am assuming NASA would want to launch this on a US rocket, given this is much less an international project compared to JWST. Tory stated earlier this year that ULA would not bid Vulcan for this mission, leaving only SpaceX and possibly Blue Origin if they choose to bid. Given that SpaceX becomes the default, and maybe only logical choice in this circumstance, why not grab some extra money for an almost guaranteed contract? No, the contract has not to exceed prices
I think what 'spacenuance' was implying was that SpaceX's bid for this mission might have been higher than the minimum they could have bid with those same services and still had a profit.
