NASA is set to launch its new infrared space telescope, SPHEREx, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California this week. The $488 million mission aims to map the entire sky in 3D and gather data on over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars.
The two-year effort will provide a comprehensive catalog of objects radiating in the universe, including tiny galaxies that are too small or distant to be seen by other telescopes. Scientists hope to answer fundamental questions about the universe’s structure, formation, and evolution.
“We’re doing big science with a small telescope,” said Beth Fabinsky, deputy project manager of SPHEREx at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “It’s a testament to what can be accomplished with cutting-edge technology.”
The 1,100-pound spacecraft uses 270-300 watts of power and produces more energy than it needs using a thick solar array. Its key science goal is to understand cosmic inflation, the phenomenon that propelled space expansion in the first second after the Big Bang.
SPHEREx will catalog galaxy distributions and record statistical variations in matter, aiming to gain insights into life’s origins. The spacecraft is equipped with a spectrophotometer that can identify basic life molecules frozen in interstellar clouds, shedding light on how essential ingredients for life are distributed in space.
The launch marks the beginning of SPHEREx’s mission to study the universe from a broad perspective, providing answers to long-standing questions about its structure and evolution.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasas-spherex-infrared-space-telescope-is-launching-this-week-heres-why-its-a-big-deal