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Vandenberg Space Force Base, California – On March 11, NASA successfully launched its newest space telescope, SPHEREx, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking a significant step in the quest to understand the origins of life and the universe. The launch, which took place at 8:10 p.m. PDT from Space Launch Complex 4 East, also carried the PUNCH mission, a set of four small satellites designed to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere. After multiple delays due to weather and technical checks, the dual-mission liftoff illuminated the night sky, captivating onlookers and signaling the start of an ambitious scientific endeavor.

SPHEREx, short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, is designed to map the entire celestial sky over a two-year mission. Unlike telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope, which focus on detailed observations of specific regions, SPHEREx will take a broader approach, surveying the cosmos in 102 infrared wavelengths—more than any previous all-sky mission. This capability will allow it to collect data on over 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars within the Milky Way, providing scientists with a comprehensive 3D map of the universe.

A primary goal of SPHEREx is to search for the key ingredients of life, such as water, carbon dioxide, and other ices, within interstellar dust clouds. These materials are believed to be the building blocks of planets and stars, potentially holding clues to how life-supporting environments form. “SPHEREx will scour the Milky Way for hidden reservoirs of water and other compounds that could eventually combine into habitable worlds,” said Jamie Bock, the mission’s principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the California Institute of Technology. The telescope’s wide field of view, roughly 20 times that of the full moon, makes it an ideal tool for this cosmic census.

The $488 million mission, in development for nearly a decade, also aims to shed light on the universe’s earliest moments. By studying the light from distant galaxies, SPHEREx will explore the Epoch of Reionization—a period shortly after the Big Bang when the first stars and galaxies formed—and test theories about the universe’s rapid expansion, known as inflation. “It’s going to answer a fundamental question: How did we get here?” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, during a pre-launch briefing.

The telescope’s unique design features three concentric photon shields, resembling a cone, to protect its sensitive detectors from the Sun’s light and heat. Operating in a low-Earth, Sun-synchronous orbit approximately 404 miles (650 kilometers) above the planet, SPHEREx will maintain a constant position relative to the Sun, ensuring optimal conditions for its infrared observations. The detectors, cooled to around minus 350 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 210 degrees Celsius), captured their first images on March 27, 2025, revealing tens of thousands of stars and galaxies in stunning detail. “Our spacecraft has opened its eyes on the universe,” said Olivier Doré, SPHEREx project scientist at JPL, confirming the telescope’s systems are functioning as expected.

The launch also marked a successful rideshare with the PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere), which will study how the Sun’s corona transforms into solar wind—a stream of charged particles that can influence Earth’s space weather. Together, these missions exemplify NASA’s strategy of pairing complementary scientific objectives to maximize efficiency and discovery.

Built by BAE Systems and managed by JPL for NASA’s Astrophysics Division, SPHEREx represents a collaborative effort involving scientists from institutions across the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan. As it embarks on its two-year journey, the telescope promises to deliver unprecedented insights into the chemistry of the cosmos, the history of galaxy formation, and the potential for life beyond Earth. With its first light images already in hand, SPHEREx is poised to redefine our understanding of the universe—one wavelength at a time.

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