NASA Launches SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions to Explore Universe and Sun

The dual missions, carried into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, aim to uncover the universe's origins and improve solar weather forecasting.

NASA's SPHEREx telescope will map the entire sky over two years, studying 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars to investigate the universe's rapid expansion after the Big Bang.
SPHEREx will search for water and life-essential molecules in molecular clouds within the Milky Way, offering insights into how planets and stars form.
The PUNCH mission, consisting of four small satellites, will study the sun's corona and solar wind, aiming to improve solar weather predictions and understand their effects on Earth and the solar system.
This launch marked the third flight of the Falcon 9 booster, which successfully returned to Earth after deploying the payloads into orbit.
The SPHEREx and PUNCH missions will complement existing NASA projects, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and Parker Solar Probe, to provide a comprehensive view of cosmic and solar phenomena.