Roman Space Telescope plaque installed with 1.35M names

On July 28, 2026, technicians installed a commemorative plaque on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The plaque honors Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer and a key figure in shaping the agency’s modern science program.

The plaque also carries a memory card with 1,350,144 names submitted by people worldwide, including astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II and Artemis III missions. This global collection of names will travel into space aboard the observatory.

The Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch on August 30, 2026. Once operational, it will be able to block starlight to directly image exoplanets and planet-forming disks, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems in our galaxy, and address fundamental questions about dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.

The installation of the plaque marks a symbolic step as the mission approaches its launch date. The telescope is expected to provide unprecedented insights into the cosmos, building on Dr. Roman’s legacy of advancing space-based astronomy.

According to NASA, the observatory’s capabilities will allow scientists to explore a wide range of astrophysical phenomena. The mission aims to deepen understanding of the universe’s expansion and the prevalence of planetary systems.

With the plaque now attached, the spacecraft moves closer to its final preparations for launch. The Roman Space Telescope is poised to become a cornerstone of NASA’s astrophysics portfolio in the coming years.