Nasa space telescope set to launch after surviving Trump budget cuts

Searching for exoplanets and clues on planet formation, the Roman telescope will lift off Sunday morning in Florida

A $4.3bn space telescope that Donald Trump tried to kill is set to lift off from Florida early on Sunday as Nasa embarks on the next stage of its quest to unlock the secrets of the universe.

The Nancy Grace Roman space telescope survived two rounds of proposed White House budget cuts, and will embark on a million-mile journey into deep space from a launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center at 7.26am ET, barring late technical issues or intervention from Florida's notoriously capricious summer weather.