SPHEREx/PUNCH Prelaunch New Conference
NASA, SpaceX and U.S. Air Force participate in a prelaunch news conference on Friday, March 7, 2025, to discuss the upcoming launch of NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SPHEREx will use its telescope to provide an all-sky spectral survey, creating a 3D map of the entire sky to help scientists investigate the origins of our universe. PUNCH will study origins of the Sun’s outflow of material, or the solar wind, capturing continuous 3D images of the Sun’s corona and the solar wind’s journey into the solar system. Liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is targeted for NET 10:10 p.m. EST (7:10 p.m. PST), Saturday, March 8, 2025, at Space Launch Complex 4 East from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
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Keywords
Details
NASA ID
AFRC2025-0036-15
Date Created
March 7, 2025
Center
AFRC
Media Type
image
Photographer
NASA/Jim Ross
Location
Vandenberg Space Force Base
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