NASA will launch the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on March 8 at 10:09 p.m. EST (March 9 at 0309 GMT). The missions are part of NASA’s Launch Services Program, which pairs scientific missions with commercial rockets for cost efficiency.
The launch will be streamed live on NASA+ and the agency’s official YouTube channel.
The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionisation and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) will study infrared light from distant galaxies to analyse cosmic evolution and how elements like water spread across the universe.
Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which focuses on specific celestial objects, SPHEREx will scan the sky on a much wider scale, mapping galaxies around JWST’s targets.
The Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) will deploy four satellites to study how the Sun’s outer atmosphere (corona) transitions into the solar wind, which affects space weather
The mission will help scientists track coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can affect Earth’s power grids, satellites, and astronaut safety.
PUNCH will use polarisation analysis and an artificial solar eclipse to study the Sun’s activity and its influence on the solar system.