Origin Of Universe, Solar Wind To Be Studied

NASA recently launched several payloads on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 11, 2025, from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The payloads included the agency’s newest astrophysics observatory, SPHEREx, to study the origin of the universe, along with the four satellites that comprise the PUNCH mission trying to understand how the solar wind forms.

The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer or SPHEREx, will conduct a two-year primary mission after a one-month checkout period. It will analyze the history of galaxies as it also searchese for the ingredients of life in the Milky Way galaxy.

The Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere or PUNCH, will study how the sun’s corona transforms into the solar wind that comprises the space weather that induces the formation of auroras near the magnetic poles and interferes with communications, navigation, and power grids on Earth.

Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator, of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, “Everything in NASA science is interconnected, and sending both SPHEREx and PUNCH up on a single rocket doubles the opportunities to do incredible science in space. Congratulations to both mission teams as they explore the cosmos from far-out galaxies to our neighborhood star. I am excited to see the data returned in the years to come.”

Laurie Leshin, Director of the NASA JPL said, “The fact our amazing SPHEREx team kept this mission on track even as the Southern California wildfires swept through our community is a testament to their remarkable commitment to deepening humanity’s understanding of our universe. We now eagerly await the scientific breakthroughs from SPHEREx’s all-sky survey — including insights into how the universe began and where the ingredients of life reside.”

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/