NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory features three concentric cones that are designed to redirect heat and light away from the telescope, ensuring it maintains the appropriate temperature. This innovative design is aimed at optimizing the telescope’s performance in space. – BAE Systems/JPL-Caltech/NASA
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NASA’s upcoming space missions, including the SPHEREx telescope focusing on the search for life’s essential building blocks within the Milky Way, and the solar-centric PUNCH mission, have encountered a slight delay in their joint launch, as confirmed by the space agency. Originally scheduled for liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 10:09 p.m. ET (7:09 PT) on Saturday, the launch has been postponed due to ongoing rocket checks.
The launch postponement allows for further assessments to ensure the rocket’s readiness for a successful liftoff. A new launch date will be announced once the necessary preparations are completed.
Even though SPHEREx and PUNCH have distinct scientific objectives, launching them together as a cost-effective rideshare benefits both missions. Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, highlights the advantage of sending these missions to a shared destination—a sun-synchronous orbit around Earth’s poles. This unique orbit ensures consistent orientation relative to the sun throughout the year.
SPHEREx, formally known as the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, seeks to unravel the mysteries of cosmic evolution and trace the origins of life’s essential components in the universe. Meanwhile, PUNCH, or Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, focuses on studying the sun’s impact on the solar system, specifically analyzing the sun’s corona and solar wind.
Both missions are poised to uncover new insights into our solar system and galaxy, providing valuable scientific data that will enhance our understanding of the universe and our place within it. Dr. Mark Clampin, acting deputy associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, emphasizes the significance of these missions in advancing our knowledge of the cosmos and the sun’s crucial role in sustaining life on Earth.
SPHEREx will embark on a mission to survey over 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars in our galaxy over a span of two years, shedding light on cosmic phenomena such as inflation post the big bang. This ambitious undertaking will yield a comprehensive map of the sky in 102 distinct colors, offering a deeper understanding of the universe’s vast complexities.
Invisible to the human eye, infrared light is ideal for studying stars and galaxies. By splitting infrared light into individual wavelengths, like a prism, a telescope can help scientists uncover the composition of celestial objects by isolating their chemical compounds.
“We are the first mission to look at the whole sky in so many colors,” said Jamie Bock, SPHEREx principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology, both located in Pasadena, California. “Whenever astronomers look at the sky in a new way, we can expect discoveries.”
SPHEREx will measure the total glow of light emitted by all galaxies, including those too distant and faint to be detected by other telescopes, providing a broad look at the major sources of light across the universe. One of SPHEREx’s main goals is to search for evidence of water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other ingredients necessary for life frozen within the clouds of gas and dust that give rise to planets and stars.
Astronomers are eager to explore molecular clouds, giant regions full of gas and dust that may contain newly formed stars. These stars may be surrounded by disks of material, forming planets. Ice connected to small dust grains is believed to be the source of most of the water in the universe, including Earth’s oceans.
By pinpointing the ingredients for life in our galaxy and determining their abundance, researchers can understand how they might be incorporated into newly forming planets. SPHEREx will collaborate with the James Webb Space Telescope, providing a survey of large portions of the sky quickly to complement Webb’s targeted observations.
PUNCH is a constellation of four small suitcase-size spacecraft that will observe the sun and the heliosphere for the next two years. These satellites, each carrying a camera equipped with polarizing filters, will create global, 3D observations of the sun’s atmosphere and solar wind. This mission will help scientists understand how solar storms form and evolve, which can impact space weather affecting Earth and its systems.
In summary, by studying infrared light and observing the sun and its effects, these missions contribute to a deeper understanding of the universe and how it impacts our planet.
Experts are gathering predictions for when space weather may affect Earth. The PUNCH mission will be closely monitoring the sun during solar maximum, the period of peak activity in the sun’s 11-year cycle, when more flares and solar storms are anticipated.
Craig DeForest, the principal investigator for PUNCH at Southwest Research Institute’s Solar System Science and Exploration Division, emphasized the mission’s potential to provide new insights into our position within the solar wind. PUNCH, along with other projects like SPHEREx and the Webb telescope, will collaborate with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to offer a comprehensive view of solar phenomena.
Director of NASA’s heliophysics division, Joe Westlake, highlighted the significance of PUNCH as the latest addition to NASA’s heliophysics missions, contributing groundbreaking scientific discoveries around the clock. The mission’s rideshare launch approach optimizes the scientific output for the nation, maximizing the value of every pound of payload launched.
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