In late February, NASA is set to introduce a new space telescope to its growing fleet of cosmic explorers. The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, or SPHEREx, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This eggshell-white, conical probe will embark on a mission to create the most detailed all-sky infrared map ever produced, providing critical data for understanding the history of the universe and the origins of life.
Wider View of the Universe
Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which focuses on highly specific regions of space, SPHEREx will operate in “panorama mode,” capturing a broad view of the cosmos. NASA’s acting Astrophysics Division director, Shawn Domagal-Goldman, compared the two telescopes: “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, when you want to catch a big group of people and the things standing behind or around them.” SPHEREx will conduct a full-sky survey every six months, mapping the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colors—an unprecedented level of detail for cosmic observations.
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Science Behind SPHEREx
SPHEREx will detect two kinds of cosmic light: optical and infrared. Optical light, visible to the human eye, has long been studied by telescopes like Hubble, while infrared light reveals hidden cosmic structures, from distant galaxies to star-forming regions shrouded in dust. Though it won’t rival JWST’s precision in deep-space observations, SPHEREx will serve as a complementary tool by identifying promising targets for JWST and other telescopes.
One of SPHEREx’s major goals is to investigate cosmic inflation, the theory that the universe underwent a rapid expansion a trillionth of a trillionth of a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. “We still don’t know what drove inflation or why it happened,” said principal investigator Jamie Bock. SPHEREx will also help scientists trace the distribution of icy organic molecules between stars, shedding light on how the building blocks of life may have traveled across the cosmos.
Launch and Mission Logistics
SPHEREx will share its ride aboard the Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, a collection of four small satellites designed to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than February 27, with the rocket’s reusable booster set to land back at Vandenberg just eight minutes after liftoff.
Once in space, SPHEREx will orbit in a special dawn-dusk sun-synchronous path to remain cool enough for its infrared instruments to function properly. To further protect it from heat interference, the spacecraft is equipped with three concentric cone-shaped photon shields and specialized radiators to dissipate excess warmth.
Cost-Effective Cosmic Explorer
SPHEREx is a testament to conducting groundbreaking science on a relatively modest budget. The project costs approximately $488 million, a fraction of the $10 billion price tag of JWST. “It weighs about 1,100 pounds, so a little less than a grand piano, and uses about 270-300 watts of power—less than a refrigerator,” said Beth Fabinsky, deputy project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Despite its small size, SPHEREx promises to make a big impact. By providing a detailed infrared map of the universe, it will offer crucial guidance for future observations and help scientists answer some of the biggest questions about our cosmic origins.
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As NASA’s latest telescope prepares for liftoff, excitement is building in the scientific community. “No single mission can tell us the full story of the cosmos,” Domagal-Goldman emphasized. “Those answers come from the power of combined observations from multiple observatories.” SPHEREx will soon take its place in this ongoing journey, adding a new dimension to humanity’s understanding of the universe.