Tag: SPHEREx
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Space Science in 2026: New lunar explorers, Mars missions, and space telescopes
With many missions on the manifest, the new year promises to be packed with space science. Two interplanetary spacecraft will arrive at their destinations as another Mars window opens in late 2026. Meanwhile, multiple space telescopes have their launch dates set for this year, and the schedule promises an increased cadence for lunar missions. The…
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SPHEREx produces first all-sky map, highlights entire universe in infrared light
After launching in March and collecting near-infrared data throughout 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx observatory has completed its first map of the universe. The map, which is comprised of 102 infrared wavelengths, will allow SPHEREx’s team and astrophysicists to research the source of the early universe’s inflation and the distribution of organic molecules throughout the universe. “It’s…
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Study: Current, future megaconstellations risk space-based astronomy
a–d, Simulated exposure for Hubble (a), SPHEREx (b), Xuntian (c) and ARRAKIHS (d) space observatories, showing sectors affected by satellite trail contamination. The satellite trails represent the effects of the planned satellites using the orbital and physical parameters of the announced constellations to be operational by 2040. Background galaxies were modelled on the basis of…
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SPHEREx starts science observations while PUNCH commissioning continues
NASA’s latest space telescope has taken the first science observations of its two-year mission to study the universe in dozens of colors. The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) telescope maps the entire sky in 102 infrared wavelengths — or colors — to study galaxy formation, cosmic…
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NASA, SpaceX launch SPHEREx and PUNCH missions following spacecraft-driven scrub
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions on March 11, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update March 12, 1:52 a.m. ET: NASA confirms acquisition of signal. NASA launched its first ride share flight in support of the Science Mission Directorate with two missions flying on…
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NASA, SpaceX launch SPHEREx observatory and PUNCH heliophysics mission from California
SpaceX and NASA successfully launched the agency’s newest space telescope and solar research mission Tuesday evening. A Falcon 9 lifted off from California with the SPHEREx near-infrared observatory, with the PUNCH heliophysics mission flying as a rideshare. During its mission, SPHEREx will complete surveys of the entire sky in optical and near-infrared light, observing over…
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Launch Roundup: Starship and Ariane 6 launch after scrubs
SpaceX launches Starship’s eighth flight test, Arianespace’s Ariane 6 launches from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, and China sends another Chang Zheng 3B/E to space. Ariane 6 kicks off the week by launching high-resolution reconnaissance satellites for the French Space Agency, followed by Starship’s eighth flight test. Then, Chang Zheng 3B/E takes another…
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Launch Roundup: Starship, Ariane 6 and telescope missions delayed, lunar lander flies
Several significant missions were scheduled for this week, including the third lunar lander to launch in just over a month. The Intuitive Machines-2 (IM-2) mission will explore and analyze the Moon’s subsurface, testing new technologies and paving the way for future lunar missions. NASA is also set to launch its SPHEREx observatory, which will map…
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NASA picks candidates for new space telescope
Artist’s concept of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), one of three finalists selected to be NASA’s newest astrophysics observatory. Credit: NASA NASA has selected three finalists for a new Explorer-class astrophysics satellite mission scheduled to launch by the end of 2020, and two of the proposals aim to fulfill similar goals to an X-ray…