NASA is launching an exciting new mission called SPHEREx to explore the universe in ways never done before. This telescope will help scientists understand how the universe formed and developed, and it will look for signs of life-building ingredients like water in space. The mission launch is planned for late February 2025, and NASA has organized a news conference to share all the details.
What is SPHEREx and Why is it Important?
SPHEREx stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer. It will scan the entire sky in near-infrared light, which lets scientists see things not visible to the naked eye or normal telescopes. This will give clues about the birth of the universe, how galaxies like ours formed and changed over time, and where water and organic molecules exist in space. These ingredients are crucial because they might show where life could potentially develop.
The telescope will collect data from more than 450 million galaxies and over 100 million stars in our Milky Way. It will also study icy areas around new stars and planet-forming disks, giving insight into the early stages of planet creation.
Details of the News Conference and Participants
NASA will hold the news conference at 12 p.m. EST on Friday, January 31, 2025. It will take place at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California and can be watched live on NASA+, as well as JPL’s social media channels like X and YouTube.
Laurie Leshin, the director of NASA JPL, will start the event with an introduction. Other key people speaking include Shawn Domagal-Goldman from NASA Headquarters, James Fanson and Beth Fabinsky who manage the SPHEREx project at JPL, Jamie Bock, the principal investigator from Caltech, and Cesar Marin, an engineer from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Media representatives interested in asking questions must RSVP by email two hours before the event. During the conference, people can also send questions on social media using the hashtag #AskNASA.
Launch Information and Collaboration
SPHEREx will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Central California. It will share the ride with another NASA mission called PUNCH, which studies the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
The mission is managed by NASA JPL for the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. The principal investigator is from Caltech, which also manages JPL. BAE Systems provided the spacecraft, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute contributed a special test chamber. All data collected will be shared publicly through the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech, helping scientists worldwide.
NASA’s SPHEREx mission is a big step forward in understanding our universe. By studying galaxies, stars, and the essential elements for life, it will answer many important questions about how everything began and developed. This mission shows how technology and international teamwork come together to explore space and deepen our knowledge about life beyond Earth. The upcoming launch and the live news conference promise to be exciting moments for both scientists and space enthusiasts.
