NASA's SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions to Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9, Exploring Universe's Origins and Solar Dynamics

NASA's SPHEREx and PUNCH missions are scheduled to launch no earlier than March 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This dual-mission launch is facilitated by NASA's Launch Services Program, balancing taxpayer funds and private investment. SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) will operate as a wide-angle complement to the James Webb Space Telescope, analyzing infrared light to study the universe's origins. PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) comprises four satellites designed to investigate the solar wind's formation from the sun's corona. Understanding solar dynamics is crucial for predicting space weather events like coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can impact Earth's power grids and astronaut safety. SPHEREx aims to explore cosmic inflation and the origins of water on Earth, while PUNCH will use polarization to study solar wind features and CMEs.