Why in news?
NASA’s SPHEREx mission is a space telescope launched in March 2025 that is currently conducting a two-year all-sky survey in infrared light, mapping over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars to study the origins of the universe and cosmic ices. It has already produced its first full-sky infrared map and observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
About Mission
- Full Name: Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx)
- Launch Date: March 11–12, 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base
- Orbit: Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit at ~700 km altitude
- Mission Duration: Planned 25 months (about 2 years)
Scientific Goals
- Cosmic Origins: Map the entire sky in 102 infrared wavelengths to study the large-scale structure of the universe.
- Epoch of Reionization: Investigate how the first stars and galaxies reionized the universe.
- Galactic Surveys: Catalog 450+ million galaxies and 100+ million stars in the Milky Way.
- Planetary Science: Analyze water ice and organic molecules in star-forming regions and comets.
Key Achievements (as of 2025–26)
- First Infrared Map of the Entire Sky (Dec 2025): Completed in 102 colors, offering unprecedented detail of cosmic structures.
- Observation of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (Dec 2025): Detected dust, water, organic molecules, and carbon dioxide as the comet brightened after perihelion. This was only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system.
- Awards: The mission team won the Sylvia A. Earle Award for Exploration Excellence in February 2026.
Importance
- Legacy Archive: SPHEREx will leave behind a massive dataset for astronomers worldwide, enabling discoveries for decades.
- Complementary Science: Works alongside missions like JWST (deep, narrow focus) by providing broad, all-sky context.
- Planetary Insights: Helps understand how water and organic molecules are distributed in the galaxy, crucial for studying habitability.
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