NASA Launches SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions to Unveil Cosmic and Solar Mysteries

On March 11, 2025, at 8:10 p.m. PDT, NASA successfully launched two pioneering missions—SPHEREx and PUNCH—from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. These missions aim to deepen our understanding of the universe's origins and the dynamics of the Sun's outer atmosphere.

SPHEREx, short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, is a two-year mission designed to survey the entire sky in optical and near-infrared light. The mission's primary objectives include creating a 3D map of over 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way, investigating cosmic inflation—the rapid expansion of the universe that occurred a fraction of a second after the Big Bang—and searching for water and organic molecules in stellar nurseries and protoplanetary disks within our galaxy.

The spacecraft's unique cone-shaped design helps maintain the cold temperatures necessary for its infrared detectors to observe faint cosmic objects. This design is crucial for minimizing heat and light interference, ensuring the accuracy of its observations.

Accompanying SPHEREx, the PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission consists of four small satellites designed to study the Sun's outer atmosphere and the solar wind. The mission's goals include making global, 3D observations of the Sun's corona to learn how its mass and energy become the solar wind—a stream of charged particles that influences the entire solar system—and studying the formation and evolution of space weather events, such as coronal mass ejections, to improve predictions about their arrival at Earth and their potential impact on technology and human activities.

The PUNCH satellites will operate in a coordinated formation, using polarizing filters to measure the corona and solar wind in 3D. This innovative approach allows scientists to create a comprehensive map of the inner heliosphere, enhancing our understanding of solar dynamics.

The successful launch and operation of SPHEREx and PUNCH have several significant implications. SPHEREx's comprehensive sky survey will provide critical data to test theories about the early universe, potentially leading to breakthroughs in our understanding of cosmic inflation and galaxy formation. By identifying regions rich in water and organic molecules, SPHEREx could highlight areas within our galaxy that are more likely to host habitable planets, guiding future missions in the search for extraterrestrial life. PUNCH's observations will enhance our ability to predict solar storms, which can disrupt satellite communications, power grids, and even pose risks to astronauts. Better forecasting can lead to more effective mitigation strategies.

While previous missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope have provided detailed observations of specific regions of the sky, SPHEREx's all-sky survey offers a broader perspective, capturing data on a vast number of celestial objects. This comprehensive approach complements the detailed studies conducted by its predecessors. Similarly, PUNCH's focus on the Sun's corona and solar wind builds upon prior solar missions but introduces a novel method of using multiple small satellites to achieve a global, 3D view of these phenomena.

Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, emphasized the interconnectedness of these missions, stating, "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." Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, highlighted the dedication of the mission teams, noting, "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."

The successful deployment of SPHEREx and PUNCH marks a significant milestone in NASA's ongoing efforts to explore the cosmos and our solar system. As these missions begin their scientific operations, they hold the promise of unlocking new insights into the origins of the universe and the behavior of our Sun, contributing to a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes that shape our cosmic environment.