NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), the agency’s newest space telescope.
The launch window opens at 2:09 p.m. (AEDT) on Saturday, March 1, for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will lift off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This will lift off with another NASA mission, Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, or PUNCH, which will study the Sun’s solar wind.
The SPHEREx mission will improve our understanding of how the universe evolved and search for key ingredients for life in our galaxy.
The four small spacecraft that comprise PUNCH will observe the Sun’s corona as it transitions into solar wind.
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on NASA’s website. Coverage will include links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 1:15 p.m. (AEDT) on February 28, as the countdown milestones occur.
