Roman will conduct one of the most comprehensive searches ever for exoplanets. It is expected to discover thousands of new ones and provide the first statistical census of planetary systems similar to our own. The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief astronomer. Roman died in 2018 at age 93.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to discover as many as 200,000 new planets and reveal details about the elusive nature of dark matter and dark energy.

The Roman Telescope is progressing as scheduled toward a launch on Aug. 30.