The Vela Molecular Ridge captured by NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer)
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26354
#spherex
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NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) has turned on its detectors. Initial images from the observatory confirm that all systems are working as expected.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-spherex-takes-first-images-preps-to-study-millions-of-galaxies/
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)NASA’s SPHEREx Takes First Images, Preps to Study Millions of GalaxiesProcessed with rainbow hues to represent a range of infrared wavelengths, the new pictures indicate the astrophysics space observatory is working as expected.
NASA’s Recently Launched SPHEREx Ejects Dust Cover From Telescope
Once science operations begin several weeks from now, SPHEREx will map the entire celestial sky to answer fundamental questions about the universe. #Cosmology
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spherex/2025/03/20/nasas-recently-launched-spherex-ejects-dust-cover-from-telescope/
Will this be one of the last Scientific launches of the American Empire?
Seeing as Science is being abolished like Education in Gilead.
Waiting for the moment DOGE views the JWST as not "cost effective" and cuts it....
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/12/nasas-spherex-telescope-launch
The Guardian · Nasa’s new Spherex telescope lifts off to map cosmos in unprecedented detail
There's a cool #NASA launch in about 20 min
#SPHEREx and #PUNCH are launching on a falcon 9 rocket
They're currently live streaming at plus.nasa.gov
My current workplace integrated SPHEREx and a bunch of my #heliophysics buddies built PUNCH!
#launch #solar #science #astrophysics
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Here are a few pics of the SPHEREx Space Telescope, taken during assembly at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado.
https://images.nasa.gov/search?q=spherex&page=1&media=image,video,audio&yearStart=1920&yearEnd=2025
https://spherex.caltech.edu/images
#SPHEREx
10/n
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Here is a video from NASA JPL with a quick overview of the SPHEREx space telescope mission.
More on the technology inside SPHEREx coming up in posts below.
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SPHEREx Objectives:
— Create a 3D map of 100s of millions of galaxies in 102 infrared wavelengths, to study inflation, the rapid expansion of the universe after the big bang.
— Measure the collective glow of galaxies near and far, including ones not observed before.
— Search the Milky Way galaxy for water, CO2 and other essential ingredients for life.
SPHEREx will complement the Euclid and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope spectroscopic surveys.
Press kit: https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/documents/spherex-press-kit.pdf
#SPHEREx
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A modest space telescope with an innovative design is about to search for traces of a key moment in cosmic history: the first tiny fraction of the first second following the Big Bang.
As soon as the end of February, NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will launch a new telescope into orbit around the Earth called SPHEREx. The funnel-shaped telescope weighs about as much as a grand piano and has a larger field of vision than other telescopes like Hubble and the JWST. @npr has more:
2025 preview :
• #Moon 
deliveries by #Astrobotic, #IntuitiveMachines and #Firefly Aerospace.
• #SPHEREx will create a map of the universe 
• #ESA's 
#SpaceRider #spaceplane orbital test flight
• #Japan's 
lunar lander and micro-rover
• #Tianwen2 
collects samples from a #NEA 
• #BepiColombo at #Mercury
• #EuropaClipper at #Mars
• #NASA’s #Lucy #asteroid flyby
• #JUICE at #Venus
https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/space-missions-coming-in-2025
• #SierraSpace #DreamChaser test mission to the #ISS https://www.planetary.org/articles/calendar-of-space-events-2025
Astronomy Magazine · The most exciting space missions coming in 2025In 2025, space agencies are gearing up for some ambitious goals. Here’s a look at the most exciting missions planned for the coming year.