NASA's Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission has officially commenced its science operations on May 1, 2025 [1, 3, 11]. Launched on March 11, 2025, the space observatory spent six weeks undergoing checkouts and calibrations [1, 2, 3].
SPHEREx will systematically survey the entire sky, capturing approximately 3,600 images daily over the next two years [1, 3, 11, 14]. The mission aims to chart the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in three dimensions, addressing fundamental questions about the universe's origins and the evolution of its large-scale structure [1, 3].
According to Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, SPHEREx complements existing astrophysics missions and will play a key role in answering profound questions about the universe [1, 3, 11, 14]. The observatory is expected to complete over 11,000 orbits during its 25-month planned science operations, circling Earth about 14.5 times a day [1, 3, 11]. SPHEREx will map the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, far exceeding the color resolution of previous all-sky maps [1, 6, 7, 14].