WASHINGTON: NASA is preparing to launch its new space telescope, the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionisation and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx), on February 27 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The two-year mission aims to map the universe and uncover key cosmic mysteries.

SPHEREx will share its launch with NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission, a set of four small satellites designed to study the Sun. The launch will take place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California under NASA’s Launch Services Programme.

According to Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Acting Director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, SPHEREx will offer a panoramic view of the universe, different from the detailed images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

“SPHEREx and other survey missions can capture a broader perspective, similar to switching to panorama mode on a camera,” Goldman noted.

During its mission, SPHEREx will detect optical and infrared cosmic light, providing insights into the history of the universe, galaxy formation, and the origins of life.

This launch marks another milestone in NASA’s quest to explore the cosmos and expand human understanding of the universe.

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