By NASA February 28, 2025
Collected at: https://scitechdaily.com/nasas-next-big-launch-could-unlock-the-universes-greatest-secrets/
NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions are set to launch on March 2, promising groundbreaking insights into the universe’s origins and the Sun’s dynamic outer layers.
SPHEREx will peer into the universe’s infancy, unlocking clues from the Big Bang, while PUNCH will trace the solar wind’s journey from the Sun’s corona. With a live-streamed launch and prelaunch briefing, space enthusiasts can witness history unfold.
SPHEREx & PUNCH Launch Date Shifted
NASA and SpaceX are now aiming to launch the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions no earlier than Sunday, March 2. (Previously the launch was scheduled for February 28.) The updated schedule allows additional time for final rocket preparations before liftoff. The launch is set for 10:09 p.m. EST (7:09 p.m. PST) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The SPHEREx mission (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) will investigate what occurred in the first second after the Big Bang and search for essential building blocks of life within our galaxy. Meanwhile, the PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) will study the Sun’s corona as it transitions into the solar wind.
A prelaunch news briefing is scheduled for Saturday, March 1, at 3:30 p.m. EST, with live coverage streaming on NASA+. Media representatives can attend in person or join via phone. Due to limited space, those attending in person should plan accordingly.
The SPHEREx and PUNCH live launch broadcast will begin at 9:15 p.m., Sunday, March 2, and stream live on NASA+.
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