NASA is set to launch its new telescope, SPHEREx, on February 27 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The telescope aims to provide an unprecedented view of the universe, mapping the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colours, and exploring the origins of the universe, galaxies, and the potential ingredients for life.

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• NASA’s SPHEREx observatory will launch on February 27 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
• The telescope will map the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colours to illuminate the universe’s origins.
• SPHEREx will search for essential building blocks of life in the Milky Way galaxy, focusing on interstellar clouds where stars and planets form.
• It will study cosmic inflation, a phenomenon that caused the universe to expand exponentially after the Big Bang.
• SPHEREx aims to measure the total light output from galaxies, including those too small or distant for other telescopes to detect.
• The observatory will also help create the most colourful all-sky map ever, using its ability to split light into its component wavelengths.
• The telescope will work alongside the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to deliver high-resolution images of galaxies, stars, and planets.
• SPHEREx will provide 3D maps of hundreds of millions of galaxies to study the impact of inflation on the universe’s structure.
• The mission’s infrared detectors operate at extremely low temperatures, using a passive cooling system to maintain necessary conditions.
• SPHEREx will be managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) engineers.