WEB DESK: NASA is set to launch a new space telescope, SPHEREx, which could surpass the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), this new addition to NASA’s space telescope portfolio, a sleek, eggshell-white, conical probe, is designed to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.
SPHEREx stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer, and is scheduled to embark on its mission in February, pending successful preparations.
According to Shawn Domagal-Goldman, the acting director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, SPHEREx offers a unique approach to cosmic exploration. He explained, “Taking a snapshot with JWST is like taking a picture of a person. What SPHEREx and other survey missions can do is almost like going into panorama mode, capturing a large group of people and the surroundings behind or around them.” This broader perspective will enable SPHEREx to map the universe’s history in a way JWST cannot.
The mission is currently set to launch no earlier than February 27 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SPHEREx will not be traveling alone; it will share its ride with NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, a set of four small satellites tasked with studying the Sun. The two missions will lift off together from Launch Complex 4E.
SPHEREx’s primary mission will be to map the universe by detecting both optical and infrared cosmic light. Over the course of its two-year mission, it will provide detailed insights into the history of the universe, its reionization, and the role of ices in cosmic evolution, unless NASA opts to extend the mission beyond its initial term.
This collaborative launch underscores NASA’s ongoing commitment to expanding our understanding of the universe through advanced space missions.
