Launching this Sunday from Florida, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope promises to dramatically accelerate the pace of cosmic discovery, the company says. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which would require a century to map the Milky Way, Roman is designed to survey all the stars in our galaxy in just one month.
Cosmologist Daniel Scolnic of Duke University explains the telescope will definitively test the current understanding of the universe’s expansion and potentially reveal flaws in established theory. The telescope, named for NASA’s first chief astronomer, will also search for exoplanets and map the large-scale structure of the universe.
Nancy Grace Roman’s Design Enables Month-Long Milky Way Galaxy Survey
This dramatic increase in efficiency stems from the telescope’s design, allowing it to catalog vast areas of the sky quickly, according to Julie McEnery, a Roman project scientist. Roman’s broad surveys are expected to reveal new galaxies and bolster understanding of the universe’s large-scale structure, though astronomers anticipate unexpected discoveries alongside planned observations.
A key objective for the observatory is to precisely measure the rate of the universe’s expansion using Type Ia supernovas, exploding stars that serve as cosmic distance markers. Roman will accurately determine whether the model is right or wrong. Determining whether the current model accurately describes the accelerating expansion is a primary goal, and Roman is expected to provide definitive data. To support Roman’s complex data processing, NASA’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL) is using quantum computing for advanced analysis. Since May 2013, QuAIL, a collaboration between NASA, Google Quantum AI, and USRA, has applied quantum optimisation and machine learning to NASA’s mission challenges. On March 3, 2026, Monarch Quantum supplied Quantum Light Engines for a NASA space-based gravity gradiometer, demonstrating the increasing integration of quantum technologies into space exploration, according to the company. The lab’s work extends beyond Roman, with ongoing partnerships including D-Wave, installed at Ames Research Center in 2012 for optimisation research. Wendy Freedman, an astronomer at the University of Chicago, highlights the unpredictable nature of astronomical discovery. “The history of astronomy really has shown when you get a new capability, and especially survey capability, you learn something new, something unexpected.” This anticipation of the unforeseen underscores the value of Roman’s comprehensive surveys, promising insights beyond its initial objectives and potentially reshaping our understanding of the cosmos.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will complete a full Milky Way survey in approximately one month, a feat that would take the Hubble Space Telescope around one hundred years to achieve. Julie McEnery, a Roman project scientist, explains the telescope possesses comparable sensitivity and visual acuity to Hubble, but its architecture prioritizes expansive data collection. This accelerated survey capability is important for validating cosmological models currently under scrutiny, particularly those concerning the universe’s expansion rate. Cosmologist Daniel Scolnic of Duke University notes recent measurements suggest existing models may be inaccurate, stating, “In the last few years, there have been measurements saying that model might be wrong.” NASA’s quantum computing lab at Ames Research Center, run with Google Quantum AI and USRA since May 2013, applies quantum optimisation, simulation, and machine learning to NASA mission problems.
NASA dates the lab to 2012, with Google publicly announcing the joint venture in May 2013 alongside the Universities Space Research Association. This collaborative effort will find new information from Roman’s observations, potentially revealing previously unknown galaxies and enhancing our understanding of the universe’s large-scale structure.
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