After a brief delay, NASA successfully launched two groundbreaking missions, SPHEREx and PUNCH, on Sunday, March 2nd. These missions, deployed via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, will map the universe and investigate the Sun’s impact on space. This launch follows the successful deployment of NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission on Wednesday, March 1st, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, also aboard a Falcon 9. Both Lunar Trailblazer and SPHEREx are supported by the California Institute of Technology’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC).
Lunar Trailblazer, part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, is designed to map water, minerals, and temperatures on the lunar surface. Utilizing two advanced instruments, the High Resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM), the mission will provide crucial data for selecting optimal landing sites for future robotic and human missions, particularly those focused on lunar ice and water harvesting. The Lunar Trailblazer shared its ride to space with three other spacecraft, including Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 lunar lander. More information about the IM-2 lander is available on NASA’s website.
SPHEREx, short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer, has a multifaceted mission. It aims to enhance our understanding of cosmic inflation, trace the historical light patterns from galaxies, and investigate the crucial role of water and ice in the formation of stars and planets. This two-year mission will deliver the first near-infrared all-sky spectral survey, providing astronomers with unprecedented data. SPHEREx is uniquely designed to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Milky Way, searching for water ice and other frozen compounds.
Launching alongside SPHEREx is PUNCH, the Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere. This mission comprises four satellites that will form a constellation in low-Earth orbit. From this vantage point, PUNCH will capture 3D observations of the inner heliosphere, aiming to unravel the complex relationship between the Sun’s corona and the solar wind.
The successful launch of SPHEREx and PUNCH concludes a busy period in space exploration, marked by numerous rocket launches, debris incidents, and significant advancements in future mission planning by various space agencies.
