NASA launched its latest space telescope, Spherex, into orbit on Tuesday, aiming to create a detailed map of the entire sky in a way that has never been done before. This ambitious mission will examine hundreds of millions of galaxies and their shared light, traces of which have persisted since the universe began.
The Spherex observatory was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket from California and will navigate a polar orbit, moving over the Earth’s poles. Accompanying Spherex were four small satellites, each the size of a suitcase, designed to study the Sun. Once in space, Spherex detached from the rocket’s upper stage, basking in the vastness of space against the backdrop of Earth.
The mission has a budget of $488 million and is focused on understanding how galaxies formed and evolved over billions of years. It also seeks to reveal the rapid expansion of the universe during its earliest moments. While Spherex will explore distant galaxies, it will also investigate our own Milky Way galaxy, searching for water and essential life-building materials in the frigid regions between stars, where new solar systems take shape.
Weighing in at 1,110 pounds (about 500 kilograms), Spherex is comparable in weight to a grand piano. It has an ambitious plan: within six months, the telescope intends to complete a full mapping of the sky using infrared technology and a broad field of view. Over the course of two years, Spherex will carry out four full-sky surveys as it orbits the Earth from an altitude of 400 miles (650 kilometers).
Unlike the larger Hubble and Webb space telescopes, which provide stunning details of individual galaxies, Spherex will take a different approach. Instead of focusing on individual celestial bodies, Spherex will observe the total light emitted by all galaxies combined. This includes light from the very first galaxies that appeared after the Big Bang.
“The combined cosmic glow represents all light emitted throughout the history of the universe,” explained Jamie Bock, the mission’s chief scientist from the California Institute of Technology. This unique perspective allows scientists to detect sources of light that may have previously gone unnoticed.
By analyzing this collective light, researchers hope to uncover details about the properties of the earliest galaxies and their formation. While Spherex won’t be able to see the Big Bang itself, it will capture information about the state of the universe shortly after that pivotal moment.
The telescope is equipped with advanced infrared detectors which can identify 102 different colors that are invisible to the human eye. This capability will result in the most colorful and comprehensive map of the cosmos ever created. “It’s akin to viewing the universe through rainbow-colored glasses,” said Beth Fabinsky, deputy project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
To maintain optimal performance, Spherex’s infrared detectors must stay extremely cold—around minus 350 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 210 degrees Celsius). The telescope is designed with a unique structure made up of three aluminum-honeycomb cones, layered to shield it from solar and terrestrial heat, resembling a protective collar for a dog.
In addition to the Spherex mission, the SpaceX Falcon rocket also delivered a group of NASA satellites known as Punch. These satellites will operate in a separate polar orbit and focus on studying the Sun’s corona and the associated solar wind.
The launch originally faced a two-week delay due to technical issues, but it successfully lifted off in the evening, marking another significant achievement for space exploration.