Overview

• SPHEREx, launched on March 11, 2025, began its science operations on May 1, capturing 3,600 infrared images daily from Earth orbit.
• The telescope will create four all-sky maps over 25 months, charting the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in three dimensions.
• By leveraging spectroscopy across 102 wavelengths, SPHEREx will study cosmic inflation and the distribution of matter from the Big Bang.
• The mission will conduct over 9 million observations of interstellar clouds in the Milky Way, searching for water and organic molecules tied to the origins of life.
• SPHEREx operates using reaction wheels for orientation and will complete more than 11,000 orbits, scanning the entire sky every six months.