New NASA telescope to explore origins of universe

NASA will launch a new space telescope in 2023 that could provide a glimpse of the first moments in the history of the universe, and explore how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy's planetary systems, the US space agency said Thursday.

The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission is a planned two-year mission funded at USD 242 million, according to NASA.

"I'm really excited about this new mission," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.

SPHEREx will survey the sky in optical as well as near-infrared light which, though not visible to the human eye, serves as a powerful tool for answering cosmic questions.

Astronomers will use the mission to gather data on more than 300 million galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in our own Milky Way, NASA said.

"This amazing mission will be a treasure trove of unique data for astronomers," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

"It will deliver an unprecedented galactic map containing 'fingerprints' from the first moments in the universe's history. And we'll have new clues to one of the greatest mysteries in science: What made the universe expand so quickly less than a nanosecond after the big bang?" Zurbuchen said.

SPHEREx will survey hundreds of millions of galaxies near and far, some so distant their light has taken 10 billion years to reach Earth.

In the Milky Way, the mission will search for water and organic molecules -- essentials for life, as we know it -- in stellar nurseries, regions where stars are born from gas and dust, as well as disks around stars where new planets could be forming.

Every six months, SPHEREx will survey the entire sky using technologies adapted from Earth satellites and Mars spacecraft.

The mission will create a map of the entire sky in 96 different colour bands, far exceeding the colour resolution of previous all-sky maps.

It also will identify targets for more detailed study by future missions, such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the US space agency said.