NASA and SpaceX will launch the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions on March 4, aiming to explore the origin of the universe and the sun's outer atmosphere. The event will be broadcast live on NASA+, with a pre-launch briefing on March 3.

NASA's SPHEREx mission will conduct the first all-sky spectroscopic survey, capturing light signatures across the universe. During the planned two-year journey, the observatory will study more than 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars within the Milky Way, providing key insights into the origin of the universe. SPHEREx illustration source: NASA

NASA and SpaceX now plan to launch the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions no earlier than Tuesday, March 4. The delay allows the team to further evaluate data related to the launch vehicle hardware. (The previous launch was scheduled for March 2, and even earlier than February 28.)

The launch window opens at 10:09 p.m. The launch took place at 7:09 p.m. ET (7:09 p.m. PST) from Space Launch Complex East 4 (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Base in California.

SPHEREx (Spectrophotometer for Cosmic History, Reionization Era and Ice Explorer) is designed to investigate what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang and search for the fundamental building blocks of life in our galaxy. Meanwhile, PUNCH (Polarimeter Unifying the Corona and Heliosphere) will study the Sun's corona and how it transforms into the solar wind.

A pre-launch press conference is now scheduled for March 3 at 3:30 p.m., with coverage live on NASA+. The SPHEREx and PUNCH live launch broadcast will begin at 9:15 pm on March 4 and will be streamed on NASA+.

NASA's Polarimeter Unified Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission, a constellation of four small satellites in low Earth orbit, will conduct global 3D observations of the solar corona to understand how the mass and energy there becomes the solar wind. Image source: NASA

The SPHEREx and PUNCH missions are two NASA projects designed to explore the fundamental mysteries of space.

SPHEREx (Spectrophotometer for the History of the Universe, Reionization Era and Ice Detector) will study the earliest moments of the universe, specifically the first seconds after the Big Bang. It will also search for water and organic molecules - the building blocks of life - within our galaxy. By mapping the sky with infrared light, SPHEREx aims to gain insights into the history of the universe and the conditions that may have led to the formation of life.

PUNCH (Polarimeter for Unifying the Corona and Heliosphere) will focus on our Sun, capturing detailed images of the corona (the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere) as it expands into space, creating the solar wind. The mission will help scientists better understand how solar particles interact with Earth's space environment, potentially improving space weather forecasts.

Together, these missions will advance our understanding of the origins of the universe and the forces that shaped our solar system.

Compiled from /scitechdaily