{"id":23861,"date":"2025-03-08T21:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T13:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-spacex-launch-spherex-observatory-and-punch-heliophysics-mission-from-california\/"},"modified":"2025-03-08T21:36:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T13:36:27","slug":"nasa-spacex-launch-spherex-observatory-and-punch-heliophysics-mission-from-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-spacex-launch-spherex-observatory-and-punch-heliophysics-mission-from-california\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA, SpaceX launch SPHEREx observatory and PUNCH heliophysics mission from California"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX and NASA successfully launched the agency\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>During its mission, SPHEREx will complete surveys of the entire sky in optical and near-infrared light, observing over 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way. From these surveys, scientists will identify the source of the early universe\u2019s inflation and search for organic molecules throughout the universe. Meanwhile, PUNCH will utilize four small satellites to investigate the Sun\u2019s inner heliosphere and how the corona becomes solar wind.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, March 11, at 8:10 PM PDT (03:10 UTC on March 12). This comes after several launch delays throughout the week prior.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"SPHEREx and PUNCH March 10, 2025, Launch Attempt (Official NASA Broadcast)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qkTcmQJdGKg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Falcon booster B1088 supported this mission. Following liftoff and stage separation, the booster returned to the launch site and performed a landing at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), located just a couple hundred meters west of SLC-4E. This launch served as B1088\u2019s third flight, having previously flown the Transporter 12 and NROL-126 missions from Vandenberg.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff and first stage ascent was nominal, with Falcon 9 successfully passing through maximum aerodynamic pressure and performing stage separation. Following two second stage engine burns, SPHEREx was deployed at T+41:56 minutes. The first two PUNCH spacecraft deployed at T+52:16 minutes and the final two at T+53:07 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 launched on a southwestern trajectory out of Vandenberg, flying SPHEREx and PUNCH to a Sun-synchronous orbit. In total, SPHEREx and PUNCH mass 256 kg. With an on-time launch, this mission marked the 445th Falcon 9 mission, the 27th SpaceX mission of 2025, and the 45th orbital launch attempt of 2025 worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Astronomy<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space Shuttle<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Rocket building kits<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<br \/>\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=haygenwarren&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1899659401721684425&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2025%2F03%2Fspherex-punch-launch%2F&amp;sessionId=065616a0456413b34ecf80bc71a09d36d7dd7622&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1899659401721684425\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494207344135127=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Falcon 9 lifts off from pad 4E in California! pic.twitter.com\/1Ef7iIBk2A<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 12, 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>SPHEREx<\/p>\n<p>Designed as a medium-class mission within NASA\u2019s Explorers program, the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission was selected by NASA for funding and development in February 2019. The mission is managed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, with James Bock of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) serving as principal investigator.<\/p>\n<p>SPHEREx\u2019s first proposal was submitted to NASA in December 2014 and was subsequently selected for continued development as part of the Small Explorer Program (SMEX) in July 2015. However, SPHEREx\u2019s proposal was ultimately not selected for funding as part of SMEX, and the SPHEREx team resubmitted an upgraded proposal for SPHEREx as a Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) mission in December 2016. The SPHEREx MIDEX proposal was selected as a finalist in August 2017 and was later announced as the winner in February 2019.<\/p>\n<p>SPHEREx entered Phase C of NASA\u2019s Project Life Cycle in January 2021, allowing mission teams to finalize the mission\u2019s design and begin constructing and assembling spacecraft components. NASA selected SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 to launch the mission in February 2021 and announced the addition of PUNCH as a rideshare payload in August 2022.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105305\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105305\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/24-08361_SphereX_Horizontal_Integrated-Edit-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-105305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SPHEREx fully assembled, with the three photon shields visible. (Credit: BAE Systems\/NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/p>\n<p>The observatory was fully assembled by April 22, 2024, and entered final testing soon after. These tests were conducted in late 2024 and, following completion, SPHEREx was shipped to Vandenberg for final integration with the Falcon 9 upper stage and payload fairing encapsulation.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than relying on a suite of highly technical instruments, SPHEREx will utilize a single, wide-field aluminum telescope instrument designed for a single observing mode in either visible or near-infrared light. This telescope features three mirrors, an aperture diameter of 20 cm, and six mercury cadmium telluride photodetector arrays. These characteristics give the telescope an 11 degree by 3.5 degree field of view, with the telescope obtaining spectra through multiple exposures and placing an object at different positions within its field of view. Observing an object at different locations within the telescope will allow SPHEREx to measure the light from the object across multiple wavelengths.<\/p>\n<p>SPHEREx also features six linear variable filters (LVF). These LVFs produce spectra, and do so by the telescope moving in the wavelength-varying directions of the LVFs \u2014 a method that was proven on NASA\u2019s New Horizons mission to Pluto with the LEISA instrument.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105306\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105306\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-622x350.jpg 622w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SPHEREx_March2022_Update_Still01_R08_BlackBackground_5760x3240-1170x658.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-105306\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sectional view of SPHEREx, with the three photon shields, telescope, and solar panel visible. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SPHEREx)<\/p>\n<p>Extending away from the telescope is SPHEREx\u2019s three-stage V-groove system, which gives the observatory its recognizable conical shape and allows for the cooling of its optics and internal systems. This three-stage V-groove design consists of three nested photon shields that protect the spacecraft\u2019s cooler and telescope optics from radiation emitted by the Sun, Earth, and the spacecraft. Like the James Webb Space Telescope, SPHEREx must be cooled to extremely low temperatures of less than 55 degrees Kelvin to ensure that any heat from the observatory doesn\u2019t interfere with infrared observations, as a significant portion of infrared light is emitted as heat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105310\" class=\"wp-image-105310 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/spherex-mirror.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"389\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/spherex-mirror.jpg 389w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/spherex-mirror-258x350.jpg 258w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-105310\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram showing the design of SPHEREx\u2019s mirror. (Credit: SPHEREx)<\/p>\n<p>The design of SPHEREx is simple, robust, and efficient, requiring no moving parts except for the jettison of the telescope\u2019s aperture cover early in the mission. SPHEREx\u2019s telescope will collect surveys of the entire sky approximately once every six months. During these observations, the observatory will collect 0.75 to 5.0 micrometer near-infrared spectral data on galaxies and stars, creating the most colorful sky map ever.<\/p>\n<p>SPHEREx\u2019s primary mission is set to last approximately 25 months and achieve three main scientific objectives: constrain the physics of cosmic inflation, trace the history of galactic light production, and investigate the presence and characteristics of water and biogenic ices in young star systems.<\/p>\n<p>Cosmic inflation was a phenomenon that occurred in the very early universe, wherein the universe began to expand at an extremely rapid, exponential rate in the moments immediately following the Big Bang. This cosmic inflation is at the backbone of much of modern cosmology and is generally responsible for the shape of our universe and its smoothness. Using measurements from telescopes, cosmologists have been able to discern the rates of cosmic inflation well, however, the exact processes that drove cosmic inflation are still very unknown. Understanding cosmic inflation is among the most sought-after goals in all of cosmology.<\/p>\n<p>SPHEREx will enable scientists to learn more about the universe\u2019s inflationary processes by investigating the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies via the measurement of galaxy redshifts. Redshifting is a phenomenon in physics in which light is stretched due to increasing distance from an observer. As light is stretched, its wavelength increases further into the \u201cred\u201d regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, hence the name \u201credshifting.\u201d Through these measurements, scientists expect to see \u201cinflationary ripples\u201d in galaxies.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Exploring Cosmic Origins with NASA\u2019s SPHEREx\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jqw6QeUIDoU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid1\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As mentioned, SPHEREx will also investigate the origins of galactic light production in the universe. SPHEREx\u2019s observational techniques will provide scientists with a wide and deep-field map of the sky at each ecliptic pole. These maps are expected to highlight spatial fluctuations in extragalactic background light (EBL). Understanding EBL and its origins will allow scientists to further investigate the history of galaxy formation in our universe. Within the EBL, SPHEREx will specifically search for intra-halo light (IHL) and epoch of reionization (EOR) signals, down to the smallest levels of detectable EBL.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, SPHEREx will investigate the abundance of water, ice, and other biogenic and organic compounds throughout our universe, and attempt to understand how these ingredients are stored in interstellar space and delivered to protoplanetary disks. SPHEREx will employ infrared absorption spectroscopy to search for ices in galaxies, stars, star systems, and protoplanetary disks. More specifically, SPHEREx will collect absorption spectrum observations of the Milky Way, Large Magellanic Cloud, and Small Magellanic Cloud, generating spectra for approximately eight to nine million objects within them. Furthermore, SPHEREx\u2019s observations will increase the number of ice spectra available for observation, with telescopes like JWST also contributing to increasing the number of these spectra.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"How NASA\u2019s SPHEREx Mission Will Map the Cosmos\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2LvSd5HLblo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid2\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>SPHEREx will observe these cosmic objects from a 700 km Sun-synchronous orbit inclined 97 degrees, with an orbital period of 90 minutes. As mentioned, SPHEREx\u2019s mission is expected to last 25 months into 2027. However, the observatory\u2019s operational lifetime could be extended through mission extensions awarded by NASA.<\/p>\n<p>PUNCH<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>SPHEREx Updates<\/li>\n<li>Space Science coverage<\/li>\n<li>NSF Store<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hitching a ride to Sun-synchronous orbit alongside SPHEREx is NASA\u2019s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission. Comprised of four, suitcase-sized small satellites, PUNCH will perform heliophysics research and investigate the atmospheric characteristics of the Sun, particularly solar wind.<\/p>\n<p>In June 2019, after completing the initial phases of development and design, PUNCH and the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission were selected by NASA to become the agency\u2019s next pair of SMEX missions. TRACERS is scheduled to launch in April atop a Falcon 9. PUNCH was announced as a rideshare with SPHEREx in August 2022, and the spacecraft were shipped to Vandenberg at the start of the year for final integration and testing.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the four small satellites will create global three-dimensional observations of solar wind, particularly young solar wind, throughout the Sun\u2019s inner heliosphere and the outer corona. Each satellite masses around 40 kg and is just over a meter in length, and each satellite carries at least one of three primary instruments.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"NASA\u2019S PUNCH Mission\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bOi8fDGtmZo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid3\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One of the spacecraft is equipped with the Narrow Field Imager (NFI) coronagraph, which will block out the light from the Sun to allow for more detailed observations of the heliosphere. Three of the four spacecraft are outfitted with a Wide Field Imager (WFI), a side-looking wide-field heliosphere imager similar to that of a coronagraph that utilizes linear geometry rather than circular. The WFI will attenuate sunlight by more than 16 orders of magnitude. All four spacecraft are equipped with a polarimeter that uses three polarizing filters.<\/p>\n<p>The final instrument is the student-built Student Thermal Energetic Activity Monitor (STEAM) instrument, a solid-state X-ray spectrometer that will measure the Sun\u2019s X-ray spectrum to better understand why the solar corona is significantly hotter than the surface. STEAM is mounted on the satellite with the NFI.<\/p>\n<p>The orbital formation of each of the satellites will be established over the first 90 days of their mission. Once commissioned and flying in formation, the four spacecraft will capture seven images \u2014 one unpolarized and six polarized images \u2014 every eight minutes. From there, the spacecraft, which are synchronized in flight, will relay the images and data back to ground stations, where programs will then be used to produce the three-dimensional imagery. The field of view of all four satellites overlaps, allowing the imager instruments to create images that cover approximately six orders of dynamic range.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105313\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-08-at-2.04.24%E2%80%AFPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2358\" height=\"1238\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-105313\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PUNCH satellite and its components. (Credit: PUNCH)<\/p>\n<p>The mission aims to \u201cdetermine the cross-scale physical processes that unify the solar corona with the rest of the solar system environment (the heliosphere).\u201d PUNCH\u2019s two primary science objectives are to understand how coronal structures evolve into ambient solar wind, and to understand the dynamic properties of transient structures, like coronal mass ejections (CME), within young solar wind.<\/p>\n<p>Earth is constantly subjected to varying amounts of solar wind, with its magnetosphere safely deflecting much of it away from Earth\u2019s surface. However, enough solar wind can occasionally pile up, usually through coronal mass ejections, to surpass the magnetosphere and fall down Earth\u2019s magnetic field lines and into the planet\u2019s atmosphere, creating aurora.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105314\" class=\"wp-image-105314 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-01-28_four-punch-spacecraft_1000w.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-01-28_four-punch-spacecraft_1000w.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-01-28_four-punch-spacecraft_1000w-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-01-28_four-punch-spacecraft_1000w-467x350.jpg 467w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-01-28_four-punch-spacecraft_1000w-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-105314\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The four PUNCH satellites undergoing final checkouts before integration. (Credit: PUNCH)<\/p>\n<p>However, while these CMEs and other solar wind events can create gorgeous displays of light within our atmosphere, they can also severely damage and interfere with spacecraft in orbit around Earth. For example, several SpaceX Starlink satellites have failed to reach their intended orbits due to CMEs \u201cfluffing\u201d out Earth\u2019s atmosphere, increasing atmospheric drag on the satellites. Furthermore, the charged particles within CMEs can interfere with spacecraft communications and disrupt electrical grids and power systems on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists currently use a variety of solar-focused satellites to forecast solar weather and predict solar activity and potential impacts on Earth. However, no spacecraft continuously monitors solar wind; thus, it can often be difficult to predict when CMEs will occur and where they will be aimed. PUNCH will fill this void, as its continuous observations of the Sun\u2019s heliosphere will enable scientists to accurately predict solar wind and understand its formation and evolution characteristics more completely.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead image: SPHEREx is deployed from Falcon 9. Credit: SpaceX)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX and NASA successfully launched the agency\u2019s 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[479,190,1174,316,899,603],"class_list":["post-23861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-falcon-9","tag-nasa","tag-punch","tag-spacex","tag-spherex","tag-vandenberg"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23861"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23861\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}