NASA’s next big mission: A cutting-edge telescope is launching soon — Here’s what SPHEREx will explore

NASA's Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx), its latest space telescope, is set to launch into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

With the capability to observe in the infrared range, SPHEREx is expected to significantly improve the understanding of the events that unfolded within the first second after the Big Bang — the theorised event that gave birth to the universe.

NASA’s SPHEREx: Objective of the mission

Another major objective of the mission is to search for essential ingredients for life — specifically water and organic molecules — within the Milky Way galaxy, according to NASA.


As per the mission plan, SPHEREx will survey the entire sky in optical and near-infrared light, mapping it in 102 different colour bands. The resulting map will have a level of colour resolution far exceeding all previous all-sky surveys, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

SPHEREx will scan the entire sky every six months throughout its planned two-year mission, as stated on JPL’s website.

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SPHEREx launch date

The infrared telescope will gather data on more than 450 million galaxies as well as over 100 million stars in the Milky Way.

SPHEREx was initially scheduled for launch in late February. But the SpaceX rocket carrying the telescope is now set to lift off by March 2. The launch will take place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

SPHEREx to investigate ‘inflation’

NASA believes that the data collected by SPHEREx will help scientists understand a cosmic event known as inflation, referring to the rapid expansion of space immediately after the Big Bang. According to scientists, inflation caused space to grow by a trillion-trillionfold in just a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang.

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FAQs

1. What is SPHEREx?
SPHEREx is NASA's latest space telescope, capable of observing in the infrared range. Once deployed, it will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies and over 100 million stars in the Milky Way.

2. When will SPHEREx launch into space?
SPHEREx was initially scheduled for launch in late February. But the SpaceX rocket carrying the telescope is now set to lift off by March 2.