NASA has successfully launched two significant space missions aimed at expanding our understanding of the universe and the sun.
The SPHEREx telescope and the PUNCH mission lifted off together Tuesday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The two missions, although focused on different scientific objectives, will operate in low-Earth orbit in a synchronized manner, ensuring optimal positioning for their observations.
The SPHEREx telescope—short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer—is designed to investigate some of the most profound cosmic mysteries. Over its two-year mission, SPHEREx will:
- Survey the entire sky every six months, creating a 3D map of the universe in infrared light.
- Examine over 450 million galaxies to gain insights into the early universe and the cosmic inflation that followed the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago.
- Analyze more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way, searching for frozen water and key molecules that could support life.
By capturing a wide-angle view of the universe, SPHEREx will complement the work of telescopes like Hubble and James Webb, which focus on smaller regions in high detail. The mission will help identify potential targets for further study with these powerful observatories.
Dr. James Fanson, SPHEREx project manager, emphasized the significance of the mission:
“Questions like ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘Are we alone?’ have been asked by humans for all of history. It’s incredible that we now have the tools to start answering them.”
The PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) consists of four small satellites that will work together to study the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, and how it transitions into solar wind—the stream of charged particles flowing through the solar system.
Over two years, PUNCH will:
- Observe solar wind formation and track coronal mass ejections, which can impact Earth’s space weather.
- Create 3D maps of the solar corona to understand how energy and mass flow outward from the sun.
- Improve predictions of geomagnetic storms that can interfere with satellites, power grids, and communications on Earth.
Dr. Craig DeForest, PUNCH principal investigator, highlighted the importance of the mission:
“What we hope PUNCH will bring to humanity is the ability to see, for the first time, where we live inside the solar wind itself.”
Launching both SPHEREx and PUNCH on a single rocket allows NASA to maximize scientific discoveries while optimizing costs. Dr. Nicky Fox, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, praised the collaboration:
“Sending both missions up together doubles the opportunities for incredible science, from far-off galaxies to our own neighborhood star.”
