JUST IN: NASA launches next-gen space telescope

YOUR INSIGHT AS ALWAYS. >> THANK YOU. GRIFF: CHARLIE, SEND IT OVER TO. YOU. CHARLIE: THANKS, GRIFF. YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE HERE AT. PICTURES OF, AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, AT THE LAUNCH PAD FOR. THE ROCKET CARRYING THE NANCY. GRACE ROMAN. TELESCOPE WHICH IS GOING TO. REVOLUTIONIZE WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT. PICTURES IN OUTER SPACE. THAT'S -- AND WE'VE GOT THE. COUNTDOWN THERE. WE'LL STOP AND LISTEN.

>> -- 2,1, IGNITION AND LIFTOFF. GO, FALCON HEAVY HAVE AND GO. ROMAN PACE TELESCOPE. >> AND LIFTOFF OF NASA'S ROMAN. SPACE TELESCOPE ON A MISSION TO. REVOLUTIONIZE OUR UNDERSTANDING. OF THE UNIVERSE IS. >> PRESSURE IS --. [INAUDIBLE]. >> FALCON HEAVY HAS CLEARED THE. TOWER AND IS ON ITS WAY TO. SPACE.

>> LOOKS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL LAUNCH. SO FAR, STEVE. GREAT SHOT THERE FROM OVEN TOP. OF THE ROCKET LOOKING DOWN -- ON. TOP TO HAVE ROCKET. LOOKING AT THOSE 27 MERLIN. ENGINES RIFTING THE FALCON HEAVY. AND ROMAN IF TELESCOPE OFF INTO. SPACE. >> FALCON HEAVY --. >> TELE'EM TRY NOMINAL. >> FALCON HEAVY SOARING INTO THE. FLORIDA SKY. WE ARE 53 SECONDS INTO THIS. FLIGHT. ROCKET WILL BE HEADING INTO THE.

BANKS --. >> FALCON 9 IS SUPERSONIC. >> PICKING UP SPEED AND ALTITUDE. VERY QUICKLY. ENGINES WILL THROTTLE DOWN. SLIGHTLY. TO REDUCE THE MECHANICAL. PRESSURE. AND THE MECHANICAL STRESS ON THE. ROCKET. >> AND WE HEARD THAT CALLOUT FOR. MAX Q WHICH IS THE POINT OF.

AERODYNAMIC PRESSURE AS THE. ROCKET IS ASCENDING. COMING UP MANY JUST UNDER A. MINUTE FROM NOW, WE'RE GOING TO. HAVE A LARGE SERIES OF EVENTS. HAPPENING BACK TO BACK. WE'LL BE STARTING WITH BOOSTER. ENGINE CUTSOFF WHERE THE ENGINES. ON THOSE BOOSTERS WILL POWER. DOWN. WE'LL THEN HAVE SIDE CORE. SEPARATION OF THOSE TWO. BOOSTERS. FOLLOWED BY THAT, WE'LL HAVE THE. MAIN CORE AND THEN STAGE ACCEPT. IS RATION OF THAT -- SEPARATION. OF THAT AS WELL AS SECOND ENGINE. START ONE FOLLOWING THAT. NOW THOSE TWO BOOSTERS WILL BE.

HEADING BACK TO FLORIDA TODAY. THEY'LL BE DOING BOOST PACK. BURNS TO PUT THEM ON. TRAJECTORIES BACK TOWARDS. KENNEDY IN FLORIDA. NOW, WE SHOULD BE HEARING THAT. CALLOUT FOR BECO IN JUST ABOUT13. SECONDS FROM NOW.

>> SIDE BOOSTER SEPARATION. CONFIRMED. >> AND THERE WE SAW --. CHARLIE: AND THERE GOES THE. ROCKET BACK TOWARDS EARTH AS THE. SATELLITE CONTINUES IT JOURNEY. INTO OUTER SPAS. GRIFF: IT'S AMAZING -- SPACE. WHEN YOU SAW ON YOUR SCREEN. THERE THE CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, SPACEX ON OUR SCREEN,

THIS IS A NASA-DEVELOPED. TELESCOPE, BUT IT'S GETTING A. RIDE WITH THE BOOSTERS THERE. WHICH IS SPACEX PRO FINISH. PROPELLING IT. AND THIS NANCY GRACE ROMAN. TELESCOPE IS GOING TO GO SO MUCH. FARTHER TO ORBIT, A MILLION. MILES AWAY FROM EARTH. IT'S BECAUSE OF THAT PARTNERSHIP. BETWEEN NASA AND SPACEX TO GET. IT ON ITS PATH. LET'S LISTEN BACK AND HEAR WHAT. THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> THE ENGINES ARE CONTINUING TO. POWER FALCON HEAVY ON ITS.

NOMINAL TRAJECTORY. NOW, THE ENGINES ON THAT CENTER. CORE ARE STILL BURNING RIGHT. NOW. THEY'RE SET TO BURN FOR ABOUT. ANOTHER 12 SECONDS OR TO -- OR. SO AND THEN THEY'LL THROTTLE. DOWN AND WE'LL HAVE OUR MECO, OUR MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF, AND THEN. WE'LL HAVE STAGE SEPARATION OF. THE CENTER CORE AND THE SECOND. STAGE IS SHORTLY THEREAFTER. >> BOOST PACK SHUTDOWN. >> NY BOOST PACK SHUTDOWN.

>> STAGE SEPARATION CONFIRMED. >> AND GREAT SHOT THERE AS THE. FIRST, AS THE MAIN CORE AND. SECOND STAGE SEPARATE FROM ONE. ANOTHER. AND WE JUST HEARD THAT CALL FOR. SECOND ENGINE START-UP, AND YOU. CAN SEE THE MVAC ENGINE THERE ON. YOUR SCREEN WITH A BEAUTIFUL. VIEW OF EARTH BEHIND IT. >> BEARING SEPARATION CONFIRMED. >> AND WE ALSO JUST HEARD.

CONFIRMATION OF FARING. SEPARATION. AS I SAID EARLIER, THOSE ARE NO. LONGER NEEDED. AND YOU CAN SEE ONE THERE ON. YOUR SCREEN. >> IN 4:389 INTO THE IN. ADDITION, ROMAN SPACE TELESCOPE. GETS ITS FIRST TASTE OF SPACE. >> FARING IS JETTISONED. >> ALL VEHICLES FOLLOWING. NOMINAL TRAJECTORIES.

>> WE ARE COMING UP ON AN. EXPECTED AOS, OR ACQUISITION OF. SIGNAL --. [INAUDIBLE]. RACHEL: YOU GUYS, THESE IMAGES. ARE INCREDIBLE. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE WE CAN. SEE --. CHARLIE: BREATHTAKING. RACHEL: ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING. I'LL TELL YOU, IT'S NOT JUST THE. SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS THAT WE. SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS IMAGE, BUT IT IS VERY HUMBLING --. [LAUGHTER]. TO THINK ABOUT OUR PLACE -- A.

LOT OF PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS. ARE COMING TO MY MIND AS I LOOK. AT THIS IMAGE AND IF WE THINK. ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR PLACE IN. THE UNIVERSE. GRIFF: AND JUST LOOKING AT THAT, AT PLANET EARTH THERE GETTING. FARTHER AND FARTHER AWAY, YOU. CAN SEE ON THE BOTTOM LEFT OF. YOUR SCREEN THE ACTUAL. SPEEDOMETER, WHICH I LOVE. WATCHING, APPROACHING 3600, 3700. MILES AN HOUR. CHARLIE: AND IT LOOKS LIKE. THAT'S A RANGE OF MOUNTAINS DOWN. THERE. YOU KEEP LOOKING AT THE GLOBE,

IT'S STILL PRETTY HUGE RIGHT. THERE ON YOUR SCREEN, AND YOU. TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS. YOU'RE LOOKING AT DOWN THERE. BUT IT'S -- WE'RE STILL CLOSE. ENOUGH YOU CAN KIND OF SEE SOME. OF THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS. IT'S HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. BETWEEN THE CLOUDS AND OCEAN. BUT LIKE YOU SAY, RACHEL, IT'S. SO HUMBLING. RACHEL: IT IS. A LOT OF RELIGIOUS AND. PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS. LET ME GET BACK TO WHAT THE. NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE IS. DESIGNED TO DO. IT IS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE. DARK ENERGY, MAP HUGE PORTIONS.

OF THE UNIVERSE IS. YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW IMPORTANT. THAT IS. IT WILL SEARCH FOR DISTANT. EXXO -- EXOPLANETS. AND SURVEY THE COSMOS. IT WILL DO IT MUCH FASTER THAN. THE HUBBEL COULD EVER DO, SO. THIS IS NEXT GENERATION IN SPACE. TELESCOPE TECHNOLOGY. CHARLIE: AND YOU KNOW WHAT I. LOVE ABOUT CARRYING THIS LIVE, AND NASA ALWAYS DOES A GOOD JOB. OF THIS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE. KIND OF TAKE IT SOMEWHAT FOR. GRANTED THAT THESE THINGS ARE.

GOING TO WORK OUT. BUT WHEN YOU WATCH THIS UP CLOSE. AND YOU WATCH EVERYTHING THAT. GOES INTO IT AND YOU LISTEN TO. ALL OF THE ENGINEERS TALK ABOUT. WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN IF AND. WHAT'S HAPPENING, YOU GET AN. IDEA THAT YOU CAN TAKE NONE OF. IT FOR GRANTED. EVERY SINGLE THING THAT IS. HAPPENING HERE IS YEARS, DECADES, EVEN CENTURIES OF. SCIENCE THAT GOES INTO. UNDERSTANDING AND PERFECTING THE. ABILITY TO DO THIS. AND WE SHOULD BE A LITTLE.

FRIGHTENED EVERY TIME. GRIFF: AND LET'S LISTEN BACK IN, BECAUSE THESE ARE THE ROCKET. THAT TOOK THE TELESCOPE UP NOW. COMING BACK DOWN. RACHEL: LOOK AT THIS. CHARLIE: WOW. RACHEL: IT'S INCREDIBLE. CHARLIE: WOW. GRIFF: LET'S LISTEN IN. >> PY LANDING CONFIRMED. >> NY LANDING CONFIRMED.

[BACKGROUND SOUNDS]. GRIFF: SO WE'VE BEEN SORT OF. MONITORING, TRYING TO LISTEN IN. A LITTLE BIT, AND WE TONIGHT. KNOW WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO. THE TALK. >> -- THERE ON YOUR SCREEN. WE DID, OF COURSE, HAVE. CONFIRMATION OF SUCCESSFUL. LANDINGS OF BOTH OF THOSE SIDE. CORE BOOSTERS AND, CERTAINLY, MOST PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY. HEARD THOSE SONIC BOOMS.

COMING UP NEXT, WE ARE EXPECTING. THE SHUTDOWN OF THE SECOND STAGE. MVAC ENGINE, KNOWN AS SECOND. ENGINE CUT OFF ONE OR CESO --. SECO. AND AFTERWARDS WE'LL BE WAITING. FOR A CONFIRMATION OF GOOD. ORBIT. >> NOMINAL ORBIT INSERTION. >> AND THERE'S THAT CALLOUT FOR. NOMINAL ORBIT INSERTION AFTER WE. TURNED OFF OF THE MVAC ENGINE ON. THE SECOND STAGE THERE. COMING UP NEXT, WE HAVE A BIT OF.

A BREATHER BEFORE THE NEXT. MILESTONE FOR THE MISSION, SCS2. WHEN THE ENGINE RESTARTS AS IT. CONTINUES TO ITS ORBITAL. INVESTIGATION. SO LET'S HOP BACK OVER TO MEGAN. AND DOMINIC AT THE KENNEDY SPACE. CENTER IN FLORIDA. HOW DID THAT LAUNCH LOOK, GUYS? RACHEL: ALL RIGHT. YOU JUST SAW A FLAWLESS. EXECUTION THERE. KUDOS TO NASA, KUDOS TO SPACEX. THIS WAS INCREDIBLE TO WATCH. CHARLIE: TRULY. AND AS YOU SAID IS, DEEPLY. HUMBLING. IT ALWAYS IS. AND IT IS WONDERFUL TO GET THAT.

UP-CLOSE GLIMPSE AND LISTEN TO. THEM TALK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE A. REMINDER OF EVERYTHING THAT GOES. INTO MAKING THAT FLAWLESS. LAUNCH. AND AS YOU SAID WHILE WE WERE. WATCHING, THE RETURN OF THE. ROCKET TO EARTH WAS SMOOTHER. THAN SOME AIRPLANE LANDINGS. [LAUGHTER]. GRIFF: IT'S REMARKABLE, TOO, THE. IMAGES WE HAD AS IT CLIMBED THAT. WE HAVE A CLEAR VIDEO FEED WHERE. YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT --. CHARLIE: ISN'T THAT CRAZE --. CRAZY?

REALTIME. GRIFF: TAKING PICTURES OF EARTH. TRAVELING 5,000 PLUS MILES AN. HOUR, AND WE WERE GETTING SHOTS. FROM A CAMERA THAT FAR AWAY AS. IT GOES INTO SPACE, INTO ITS. DESTINATION. AND IT'S ALSO WORTH POINTING. OUT, PRESIDENT TRUMP TALKS ABOUT. A LOT, IT'S AMERICA DOING THIS. IT'S SPACEX AND NASA. AND NASA IS, OF COURSE, IS THE. ACTUAL TELESCOPE, THEIR. TECHNOLOGY TO SEE BEYOND THE. STARS IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER. COUNTRY, NO PERSON HAS EVER.

SEEN. BUT IT WAS SPACEX THAT GAVE IT. THE RIDE, THAT COULD PROPEL IF. IT INTO THIS SORT OF ORBITAL. PATH. AND WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE. HUBBEL TELESCOPE OF 190 TO WHERE. WE ARE WITH THE NANCY GRACE. ROMAN NOW IN 2026, THE HUBBEL. BASICALLY ORBITED EARTH. THIS IS GOING A MILLION MILES. AWAY INTO THIS L2 ORBIT RANGE. WHICH IS THE SECOND SUN EARTH LA. GRANGE POINT. NO ONE'S PUT A TELESCOPE THERE.

YOU KNOW WHO DID? THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DID. BECAUSE OF A FRONTIER. THE PRESIDENT TALKS ABOUT THAT. WE WILL NEVER STOP PURSUING. RACHEL: YEAH. THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THIS. IS, OBVIOUSLY, THE SUCCESS OF. NASA AND SPACEX, BUT THE. PRESIDENT HAS HAD SO MUCH. FORESIGHT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF. SPACE BEGINNING IN HIS FIRST. TERM STARTING THE SPACE FORCE. BRANCH OF THE MILITARY WITH A. LOT OF LIBERALS CAN AND A LOT OF. DEMOCRATS MOCKING HIM FOR IT. NO ONE'S LAUGHING NOW.

SPACE IS THE NEXT FRONTIER NOT. JUST FOR SCIENCE, BUT FOR OUR. MILITARY AND FOR OUR NATIONAL. SECURITY. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT. PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD TAKE. GREAT PRIDE IN. AGAIN, THIS IS THE LAUNCHING OF. THE NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE. WHICH WILL HELP US GET MORE. PRECISE IMAGES AND UNDERSTANDING. OF THE UNIVERSE, OF PORTIONS. IT'S GOING TO MAP PORTIONS OF. THE UNIVERSE.

IT'S GOING TO SEARCH FOR PLANETS. BEYOND WHAT WE KNOW CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, IN SCIENCE. AND IT WILL SURVEY THE COSMOS. MUCH FASTER THAN THE HUBBEL. CHARLIE: IT IS REMARKABLE TO GET. THOSE LIVE IMAGES IN REALTIME. CARRIED BACK HUNDREDS, MAYBE AT. THIS POINT THOUSANDS OF MILES. BACK TO EARTH. YOU'D THINK MAYBE NASA COULD. TALK TO AMTRAK ABOUT ALLOWING US. TO KEEP A PHONE CONNECTION ON. THE TRAIN --.

[LAUGHTER]. NORTHEAST CORRIDOR. RACHEL: FAIR ENOUGH. CHARLIE: WITHOUT LOSING. CONNECTION. GRIFF: IT'S REMARKABLE JUST TO. PUT IN CONTEXT THAT THIS IS THE. LAST FRONTIER THAT EXISTS, AND. THAT IS SPACE. AND AMERICA IS GOING FARTHER. THAN ANYBODY. AND YOU CONSIDER THE FACT THAT. WE WERE A NATION THAT LOOKED FOR. A NEW FRONTIER IN ESTABLISHING. OUR COUNTRY 250 YEARS. YOU REMEMBER THAT GOING WEST. FRONTIER OF THE EARLY SETTLERS, AND NOW THIS FINAL FRONTIER. THAT'S LEFT TO PURSUE AND.

EXPLORE, WE ARE GOING THERE. AND IS WE WILL SEE THINGS SOON.