Students at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) are reaching for the stars—literally. As part of a consortium with 14 other universities and agencies, NCCU students will contribute to the development of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a project set to launch in May 2027. This telescope will explore the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, which together make up 95% of the universe but remain largely unknown.

The Roman Space Telescope, designed to measure the universe’s expansion by focusing on supernovae, will allow researchers to track how the universe has grown over time. NCCU students, working alongside Duke University faculty and peers, will play a critical role in calibrating the telescope’s detectors to capture and interpret light from distant stars. This collaborative effort not only advances scientific understanding but also offers NCCU students an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to a $3.6 billion space exploration project.