ALT The massive Vehicle Assembly Building, a huge gray building, with a huge American flag and the NASA meatball on the sides. It is dark, with the building illuminated from below, and electric lights glowing in a parking lot swarming with people.

ALT A massive rectangular screen lit up with a countdown clock that reads “-00:53:39” against a very early sunrise. The foreground is dark.

ALT NASA social participants hold up posters in countdown clock for Roman.

ALT NASA Social participants stand and listen to a tour guide in front of an artist concept of the solar system.

ALT NASA Social participants stand and listen to a tour guide standing in front of many monitors.

ALT Group of people stand on a launch pad. A small group is jumping and smiling.

ALT One person takes a photo of another poses posing. Another person stands and watches.

ALT NASA Social participants watch Dr. Rob Zellem as he speaks in front of a screen showing an image of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman.

ALT NASA Social participants watch Dr. Rebekah Hounsell as she speaks in front of a screen showing a graphic showing Roman’s three core surveys.

ALT A .5x picture of the inside of the Vehicle Assembly Building, with massive scaffolding climbing up the walls. Huge windows let in light onto the concrete floor.

ALT The NASA Social group standing in front of the VAB, taken in .5x. The group is dwarfed by the white building, which stretches way up into the blue sky. The Artemis logo is massive on the side of the building.

ALT A crowd of people observe the Spacecraft Assembly Facility from the observation area at a previous Explore JPL event.

ALT NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, encapsulated in a protective payload fairing atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, is seen at sunrise, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman will investigate dark energy and dark matter, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems, and enable a broad range of additional astrophysics research. Liftoff from NASA Kennedy is targeted for Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. Photo Credit (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

ALT Badges and lanyards on a table. The lanyards read “Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope” and “NASA Launch Services.”