Want Your Name In Space? NASA Says You Can
That’s right, your name can ‘fly’ with Nancy Grace Roman. On NASA’s site, they invite us to explore the universe with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This telescope is NASA’s next space observatory and will launch to a point that is one million miles away from earth.
How to get your name one million miles away from earth? Actually, it’s really simple. You submit your email, first name and surname here. The deadline for submitting a name – or multiple names – is 12 July 2026. So, you still have some time left!
Submitted names will be put on an SD card attached to the observatory. As of 9 July 2026, over 490,000 names had been submitted. Will you be putting your name on?
Currently, some of NASA’s space observatories include the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. The latter has been in operation since 1990. It observes the universe in visible and ultraviolet light. On the other hand, the James Webb is infrared-optimised, located approximately one million miles from earth. It was launched on 25 December 2021, from the Spaceport in French Guiana.
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken some amazing images and these can be viewed on NASA’s site. Although the telescope was designed to stay operational for five and a half years, it is expected to possibly last up to twenty years.
When will the Nancy Roman be launched? Presently, the launch is scheduled for 30 August 2026. It will lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman’s primary mission is expected to last five years. Apparently, it has enough propellant to last around ten years.
It is hoped that the telescope will settle questions around dark energy, exoplanets and astrophysics.
Did you know you can stay up-to-date with the space agency’s launches and other events on both their social media channels and via NASA Live, their own TV broadcast? The broadcasting network offers free, live coverage of rocket launches, spacewalks, space missions and Q&A sessions.
If you’re keen to know about upcoming rocket launches, some other places to keep track of these are the sites Next Spaceflight and LaunchSchedule.
Vocabulary
Observatory
(noun)
Meaning: A building or place equipped with a telescope for observing the stars.
Example: There are many observatories in the city.
Submit
(verb)
Meaning: To give or send something to someone, such as submitting a form.
Example: He submitted his entry for the competition just before the deadline.
Propellant
(noun)
Meaning: A fuel or gas used in space rockets.
Example: The rocket needs a large amount of propellant to escape Earth's gravity.
Operational
(adjective)
Meaning: Ready to work; in a state where a machine can be used.
Example: After months of repairs, the locomotive is operational again.
Keen
(adjective)
Meaning: Eager about something or someone.
Example: She is keen to learn how to code, so she signed up for a class.
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