NASA’s new space telescope, SPHEREx, will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 28, 2025. This two-year mission will help scientists better understand the universe’s formation, the growth of galaxies, and the presence of life-forming molecules in the Milky Way galaxy.

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• SPHEREx is set to map the universe in optical and infrared light, detecting cosmic phenomena invisible to the human eye.
• The telescope will create the “most colourful” map of the cosmos, imaging the entire sky in 102 infrared colours.
• SPHEREx will help measure cosmic inflation, a phenomenon that occurred 14 billion years ago when the universe expanded faster than light.
• The telescope will use spectroscopic images to measure the positions of around 450 million galaxies across cosmic history.
• SPHEREx will explore the Milky Way galaxy and identify water- and life-forming molecules, such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
• The telescope will look for biogenic molecules frozen in icy particles in the coldest regions of the galaxy.
• SPHEREx will provide a complete census of icy biogenic molecules, helping scientists understand how life-forming molecules traveled to Earth.
• The mission aims to provide crucial insights into cosmic inflation, a poorly understood phenomenon in astrophysics.
• SPHEREx will offer a broader view of the universe compared to the James Webb Space Telescope, which focuses on smaller regions.
• The mission will also shed light on the formation of galaxies and the farthest reaches of space, previously hidden from view.