NASA launches observatories to study cosmic origins, Sun

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – NASA’s latest space missions are underway which will study everything from the origins of the universe to the atmosphere around the Sun.

The observatories launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, during what appeared to be a picture-perfect launch.

NASA says onboard the rocket was the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer observatory or what is known as the SPHEREx and four small satellites that form the Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere or what is known as the PUNCH for short.

While the goals of each mission are different, the space agency says they are interconnected, as both missions aim to deepen our understanding of the universe.

"Everything in NASA science is interconnected, and sending both SPHEREx and PUNCH up on a single rocket doubles the opportunities to do incredible science in space," Nicky Fox, an associate administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. "Congratulations to both mission teams as they explore the cosmos from far-out galaxies to our neighborhood star. I am excited to see the data returned in the years to come."

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Despite challenges leading up to the launch, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California announced that it had successfully established communication with SPHEREx, which will soon begin its two-year mission to survey space for light invisible to the human eye.

Astronomers will use the mission to gather data on millions of galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in our own Milky Way.

Scientists hope the data will help determine how the universe has evolved and whether the ingredients for life are relatively common throughout the galaxy.

"The fact our amazing SPHEREx team kept this mission on track even as the Southern California wildfires swept through our community is a testament to their remarkable commitment to deepening humanity's understanding of our universe," Laurie Leshin, director, NASA JPL, said in our statement. "We now eagerly await the scientific breakthroughs from SPHEREx's all-sky survey — including insights into how the universe began and where the ingredients of life reside."

The PUNCH satellites also successfully separated from the rocket and are reportedly in good shape – they recently began their commissioning phase before getting to work.

According to NASA, the instruments will work together to create 3D renderings of the Sun’s corona and explore solar wind and other space weather events that impact Earth.

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"Questions like 'How did we get here?' and 'Are we alone?' have been asked by humans for all of history," James Fanson, a project manager at SPHEREx, stated. "I think it's incredible that we are alive at a time when we have the scientific tools to actually start to answer them."

NASA was able to defray some of the costs by launching the missions on the same rocket and hopes that the observatories last well beyond their intended lifespans.