Spacex Falcon 9 successfully launches the NASA Spherex Telescope

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was successfully launched from the Vandenberg Space Force base in California at 11:10 p.m. HNE, transporting the NASA Spherex space telescope with the Punch solar mission. This double mission in charge of use obtained an orbit, representing a significant increase in the continuous efforts of NASA in spatial exploration.

Look at Falcon 9 throw 21 @Starlink Orbit satellites from Florida, 13 of which with direct cell capacities https://t.co/txtiz77zvm
– SpaceX (@Spacex) March 13, 2025

The engineers and scientists associated with the missions expressed their enthusiasm while the spacecraft began their trip to their respective orbits. The launch has experienced several delays due to unexpected challenges, including the effects of forest fires in California, which had an impact on various team members.

According to the NASA jet propulsion laboratory, the spectro-photometer for the history of the universe, the era of the ICS reionization and explorer (Spherex) is intended to conduct an infrared survey on the sky, allowing the study of more than 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the milky path.

Standing 8.5 feet high, the telescope will map the sky through 102 infrared wavelengths, a revolutionary achievement of astronomical research. Unlike the James Webb space telescope (JWST), which focuses on the capture of detailed images of specific cosmic areas, Spherex aims to produce a complete wide field map of the whole sky over a period of six months.

During a briefing on January 31, Nicky Fox de la NASA, associate administrator of the Directorate of the Scientific Mission, described the mission to “map the whole celestial sky in 102 infrared colors for the first time in the history of humanity”.

The telescope has been positioned in a synchronous synchronous polar orbit to minimize interference from the infrared emissions of the earth and ensure optimal observation conditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mzw7FHK3QO

In addition, according to the Southwest Research Institute of NASA, the Polarimeter to unify the mission of the crown and the heliosphere (punch) includes four small satellites designed to study the external atmosphere of the sun and its transition to the solar wind.

These observations will improve the understanding of scientists of the effects of solar wind on earth, in particular in the weather events of the forecast space which could have an impact on satellite operations, electrical networks and GPS systems.

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