NASA Launches SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 to Explore Universe's Origins and Solar Dynamics

NASA's SPHEREx observatory and PUNCH mission launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. SPHEREx, costing $488 million, will map the entire sky four times over two years in 102 infrared colors, studying galaxy formation and the origins of water in the Milky Way. It aims to understand the universe's rapid expansion after the Big Bang and identify key ingredients for life in molecular clouds. PUNCH, a constellation of four suitcase-sized satellites, will observe the sun's corona and solar wind to better understand space weather and its impact on Earth. Both missions will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit, with SPHEREx surveying over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars. PUNCH will provide 3D observations of the solar wind's origins. These missions complement existing telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope and Parker Solar Probe, enhancing our understanding of the universe and the sun.