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NASA Postpones Launch of SPHEREx and PUNCH Space Missions Due to Weather and Technical Issue

The dual missions aim to map over 400 million galaxies and study the sun's impact on the solar system, with the next launch attempt scheduled for Tuesday night.

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NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), a space telescope, is situated on a work stand ahead of prelaunch operations at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. SPHEREx will enter a polar orbit around Earth and create a 3D map of the entire sky, gathering information about millions of galaxies for scientists to study what happened after the big bang, the history of galaxy evolution, and the origins of water in planetary systems in our galaxy. SPHEREx will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late February 2025.
NASA Delays SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions Due to SpaceX Vehicle Checks

Overview

  • NASA and SpaceX postponed the launch of the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions due to unfavorable weather and a ground data-flow issue with SPHEREx.
  • The launch, originally scheduled for Monday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 11:10 p.m. ET.
  • SPHEREx will map the distribution of over 400 million galaxies and search for life-essential ingredients like water and carbon compounds in the Milky Way.
  • PUNCH, consisting of four small satellites, will study the sun's corona and solar wind to better understand solar storms and their effects on Earth.
  • Both missions will operate in sun-synchronous orbits and complement other NASA telescopes and probes to provide a broader understanding of the universe and solar activity.