Nasa's newest space telescope set for launch in February, to map entire sky

Made with a budget of $488 million, Nasa's SPHEREx mission is expected to launch in February 2025. The advanced infrared telescope can map the entire sky in 102 colors

Nasa plans to map the entire sky in unprecedented detail with its latest SPHEREx space telescope, which is scheduled to launch late February 2025. 

 

Short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, SPHEREx will map the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, helping uncover the truth about the origins of the universe, and life’s key ingredients in our own galaxy. Here are the important things to know about the mission.

What is SPHEREx?

SPHEREx is not an ordinary telescope and it is likely to change humanity's perception of the universe. It is going to be an all-sky survey mission, unlike other such telescopes, like James Webb (JSWT), which targets specific cosmic objects.

 

 

This telescope will come with the capacity to provide photographs in 102 infrared colours. The broad base of observation will offer invaluable data which is related to all aspects from how galaxies are formed up to building blocks of life in our Milky Way galaxy.

What is the significance of SPHEREx?

SPHEREx provides key information on the early universe, the forces behind cosmic inflation and other ingredients for life in our galaxy. It will complement other telescopes such as JSWT and help scientists to investigate cosmic phenomena which were previously difficult to study. 

 

Shaped like a megaphone, SPHEREx will act as a valuable tool for future astronomical research, helping to rewrite our understanding of the universe and its origins.

How much does SPHEREx cost?

The best part of SPHEREx is its affordability. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) costs $10 billion while the SPHEREx was made with a cost of $488 million.

 

The cost of SPHEREx was way lower than other missions, but SPHEREx will triumph in some dimensions especially where the ability to capture the cosmos with detail is concerned. 

When will SPHEREx mission launch?

The SPHEREx mission is expected to launch on February 27.

More About SPHEREx

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the agency’s Astrophysics Division is managing the SPHEREx. The BAE systems (formerly Ball Aerospace) built the telescope and the spacecraft bus. 

 

The science analysis of the SPHEREx data is expected to be conducted by a team of scientists, 10 of them are based in the US, two in South Korea, and one in Taiwan. 

 

All the data provided by SPHEREx will be processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech that manages JPL for NASA. The principal investigator is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment. The datasets are publicly available at the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive.