A NASA telescope, named SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), was launched into space from California on Tuesday. This telescope’s mission is to explore the origins of the universe and search the Milky Way galaxy for hidden reservoirs of water, an essential element for life. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried SPHEREx aloft from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Over the course of its two-year mission, the observatory will gather data on more than 450 million galaxies and over 100 million stars within the Milky Way, creating a detailed three-dimensional map of the cosmos using 102 colors of light wavelengths. The primary goal of the mission is to enhance our understanding of cosmic inflation, a theory that describes the universe’s rapid expansion from a single point following the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.
The instrument scientist of SPHEREx, Phil Korngut of Caltech, stated that the mission aims to uncover what transpired in the first moments after the Big Bang. The theory of inflation proposes that the universe underwent a massive expansion, growing from a size smaller than an atom to a trillion-trillion times its size in an instant. The mission will also search for echoes of the Big Bang, investigating the aftermath of this significant event. SPHEREx will analyze light from stars and galaxies to determine their composition and distance, while also scanning for frozen water and other molecules on dust grains in interstellar space.
Alongside SPHEREx, NASA is launching a constellation of satellites for the PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere). This mission aims to study the solar wind and its effects on Earth and the solar system. The four suitcase-sized satellites will observe the sun’s atmosphere to understand the transition to the solar wind and how it impacts the space weather that can interfere with human technology. The PUNCH mission seeks to provide a comprehensive view of the sun’s corona and its influence on the solar system.
Scientist Nicholeen Viall from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. (Reported by Will Dunham in Washington, Edited by Rosalba O’Brien)
