 Artist's concept of SPHEREx | |
| Names | Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Astrophysics |
| Operator | NASA |
| Website | http://spherex.caltech.edu/ |
| Mission duration | 25 months (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace & Technologies |
| Launch mass | 178 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 27 February 2025 (planned)[2] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SFB, SLC-4E |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 700 km (430 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 700 km (430 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.00° |
| Period | 90.00 minutes |
| Main telescope | |
| Diameter | 20 cm |
| Wavelengths | Near-infrared |
| Transponders | |
| Band | S-band, Ka-band |
| Instruments | |
| Spectrophotometer | |
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer)[3] is a future near-infrared space observatory that will perform an all-sky survey to measure the near-infrared spectra of approximately 450 million galaxies. In February 2019, SPHEREx was selected by NASA for its next Medium-Class Explorers mission, beating out two competing mission concepts: Arcus and FINESSE.[4][5] SPHEREx is scheduled to launch on 27 February 2025 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base.[2] The principal investigator is James Bock at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (14 February 2019). "NASA selects mission to probe the history of galaxies". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Upcoming Missions". NASA Launch Services Program. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "SPHEREx". NASA. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Cofield, Calla; Cole, Steve (13 February 2019). "NASA Selects New Mission to Explore Origins of Universe". NASA. Retrieved 13 February 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Katherine Brown (9 August 2017). "NASA Selects Proposals to Study Galaxies, Stars, Planets". NASA. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
