SpaceX Falcon 9

NASA Missions ‘Go’ for Launch; News Briefing at 3:30 p.m. EST

SPHEREx and PUNCH spacecraft shown encapsulated in a protective fairing — Technicians and engineers encapsulate 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 within a protective payload fairing inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Photo credit: BAE Systems/Benjamin Fry

A team of launch managers for NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) missions authorized approval to proceed to launch countdown at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of a scheduled launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, March 8 at 10:09 p.m. EST (7:09 p.m. PST) from Space Launch Complex 4 East.

During the Launch Readiness Review on March 7, launch managers from NASA’s Launch Services Program, SpaceX, and the SPHEREx and PUNCH mission teams received an update on the missions’ status and any close-out actions from the previously held Flight Readiness Review.

NASA will host a prelaunch news conference today at 3:30 p.m. EST (12:30 p.m. PST) to discuss the agency’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions. Coverage of the prelaunch news conference will stream live on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Participants include:

Dr. Mark Clampin, acting deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
James Fanson, SPHEREx project manager, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
David Cheney, PUNCH program executive, NASA
Dr. Denton Gibson, launch director, NASA’s Launch Services Program
Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
1st Lt. Ina Park, launch weather officer, 30th Operations Support Squadron, U.S. Air Force

Launch day will kick off March 8, with the NASA Launch Preview Show at 12 p.m. EST (9 a.m. PST), streaming on NASA+. NASA’s launch broadcast is set to begin at 9:15 p.m. EST (6:15 p.m. PST) on NASA+, YouTube, the NASA app, and other digital channels.

Visit the NASA website for more information about SPHEREx and PUNCH.

NASA’s SPHEREx, PUNCH Spacecraft Encapsulated as Launch Nears

Technicians and engineers encapsulate 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 within a protective payload fairing inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. 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 10:09 EST (7:09 p.m. PST), Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Space Launch Complex 4 East from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. — Technicians and engineers encapsulate 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 within a protective payload fairing inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Photo credit: BAE Systems/Benjamin Fry

Technicians and engineers completed encapsulation 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 within a protective payload fairing inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on Sunday, March 2.

The payload fairing serves as a barrier to the harsh environment of the atmosphere during launch and ascent. Liftoff of SPHEREx and PUNCH on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is targeted for no earlier than 7:09 p.m. PST (10:09 p.m. EST) on Thursday, March 6.

The SPHEREx observatory is 8.5 feet tall, 10.5 feet wide and deep, with a solar panel that produces around 750 watts of power. The PUNCH mission features four 140-pound small satellites, each about 1-by-2-by-3 feet in size. At launch, the integrated SPHEREx and PUNCH stack will weigh around 1,667 pounds.

The SPHEREx mission will view the sky in infrared light, a range of wavelengths not visible to the human eye, collecting data on more than 450 million galaxies along with more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way over a two-year planned mission. 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.

Stay connected to NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAJPL, @NASAUniverse, @NASASun, @NASAKennedy, @NASA_LSP
Facebook: NASA, NASA’s JPL, NASA Universe, NASASunScience, NASA’s Launch Services Program
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAJPL, @NASAUniverse

For more information about these missions, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/punch/

NASA, SpaceX Update Launch Date for SPHEREx, PUNCH Missions

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Thursday, March 6, for the launch of the agency’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions. The additional time will allow teams to complete vehicle processing and prelaunch checkouts.

The launch window opens at 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 improve our understanding of what happened in the first second after the big bang and search for key ingredients for life in our galaxy. The PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) will observe the Sun’s corona as it transitions into the solar wind.

The prelaunch news briefing now is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, with coverage streaming live on NASA+. Media may ask questions via phone. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the event at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

The SPHEREx and PUNCH live launch broadcast will begin at 9:15 p.m., Thursday, March 6, and stream live on NASA+.

Visit the NASA website for more information about SPHEREx and PUNCH.

NASA, SpaceX Update the Launch of Space Telescope and Sun Missions

Technicians integrate NASA’s four PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites to the evolved expendable launch vehicle secondary payload adapter array ring inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. The PUNCH mission is launching as a rideshare with NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory. Photo credit: USSF 30th Space Wing/Joe Davila

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Sunday, March 2, for the launch of the agency’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions. The new date will allow additional time for teams to perform rocket processing ahead of liftoff. The launch time is targeted 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 prelaunch news briefing now is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, with coverage streaming live on NASA+. Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the event at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

The SPHEREx and PUNCH live launch broadcast will begin at 9:15 p.m., Sunday, March 2, and stream live NASA+.

Visit the NASA website for more information about SPHEREx and PUNCH.

NASA, SpaceX Move Launch of Space Telescope, Sun Missions

NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), a space telescope, is situated on a work stand ahead of prelaunch operations at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. SPHEREx will enter a polar orbit around Earth and create a 3D map of the entire sky, gathering information about millions of galaxies for scientists to study what happened after the big bang, the history of galaxy evolution, and the origins of water in planetary systems in our galaxy. Photo credit: BAE Systems/Benjamin Fry

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 10:09 p.m. EST (7:09 p.m. PST) on Friday, Feb. 28, for the launch of the agency’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions. The new date will allow additional time to ensure the vehicle’s readiness ahead of liftoff. SPHEREx and PUNCH will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The prelaunch news briefing now will be held at 3:30 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 27, with coverage streaming live on NASA+. Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the event at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

The SPHEREx and PUNCH live launch broadcast will begin at 9:15 p.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 28, and stream live on NASA+.

Visit the NASA website for more information about SPHEREx and PUNCH.

NASA Spacecraft to Study Sun’s Corona Arrives for Final Launch Preparations

People offloading a black container with one of NASA's PUNCH satellites — Teams at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California offload several shipping containers protecting NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. PUNCH will make 3D observations of the Sun’s corona to learn how the mass and energy becomes solar wind. PUNCH, along with NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), a space telescope, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late February 2025. Photo credit: USSF 30^th Space Wing/Alex Valdez

The four small satellites of NASA’s PUNCH mission arrived Saturday, Jan. 18, at Astrotech Space Operations located at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for final processing before launch.

PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) is sharing a ride to space with NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) space telescope which is targeted to launch no earlier than the end of February, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg space Force Base.

As part of final tests and checkouts, teams will test the solar arrays on each small satellite before they are mated to SPHEREx in preparation for encapsulation in Falcon 9’s payload fairings.

The PUNCH mission will deploy four suitcase-sized satellites to observe the Sun and space with a combined field of view. Working together, the four PUNCH satellites will map out the region where the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, transitions to the solar wind, the constant outflow of material from the Sun.

PUNCH is led by Southwest Research Institute’s offices in San Antonio, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado. The mission is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. 

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the launch service for the missions.

Follow mission milestones ahead of launch on the PUNCH blog and SPHEREx blog.

NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Arrives for Final Launch Preparations

NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), a space telescope, arrives at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. SPHEREx will enter a polar orbit around Earth and create a 3D map of the entire sky, gathering information about millions of galaxies for scientists to study what happened after the big bang, the history of galaxy evolution, and the origins of water in planetary systems in our galaxy. SPHEREx will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late February 2025. Photo credit: USSF 30th Space Wing/Tony Vauclin

NASA’s SPHEREx spacecraft arrived Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Astrotech Space Operations located inside Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for final processing before launching on its two-year mission.

The SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory is targeted to launch at the end of February on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E.

Following launch, SPHEREx will support NASA’s goals of discovering the secrets of the universe and searching for the ingredients for life elsewhere. The telescope will scan the sky in the infrared spectrum from a position in Earth orbit and complete four all-sky maps. These will allow scientists to learn about a variety of topics, including the origins of water on planets like Earth, to the physics that governed the universe less than one second after its birth. 

After final tests and checkouts, teams will mate SPHEREx and its rideshare PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) in preparation for encapsulation in the payload fairings of the Falcon 9 rocket.