NASA's new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Nasa's powerful next-generation space telescope has blasted off into space from its launchpad in Florida, with a mission to explore dark energy, black holes and other mysteries of the universe.

SpaceX launched the $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope shortly after daybreak aboard a triple-the-fire-power Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center.