SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer)

This illustration of NASA's SPHEREx mission shows the spacecraft in shades of blue. The main body of the spacecraft is cone shaped with smaller cone shapes within it, with a solar array "wing" stemming from the side of the craft.
An illustration of NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.
NASA
December 20, 2022
CreditNASA
Historical DateDecember 20, 2022
Language
  • english

An illustration of NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.

SPHEREx will map the entire sky in near-infrared wavelengths, observing over 100 million stars in the Milky Way and more than 300 million galaxies. It will use a method called spectroscopy to learn about the composition of those objects and measure the distances to other galaxies, creating a 3D map of the cosmos.

Planned launch date: No later than April 2025