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What is the SPHEREx Mission?

Feb. 6, 2026

NASA’s SPHEREx mission turned its infrared gaze on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS recently, adding to the deep pool of information, the agency has gathered on what is only the third such object to be discovered passing through our solar system.

About SPHEREx Mission:

  • The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) telescope is a megaphone-shaped telescope.
  • It is a NASA Astrophysics mission launched in 2025.
  • It will survey the sky in optical as well as near-infrared light, which, though not visible to the human eye, serves as a powerful tool for answering cosmic questions.
  • Over a two-year planned mission, the SPHEREx Observatory will collect data on the other galaxies along with Milky Way in order to explore the origins of the universe.
  • With this capability, SPHEREx will produce a three-dimensional map of the universe.
  • Scientists will use this map to answer big questions about the early universe, the history of galaxies, and the prevalence of life-sustaining molecules in planet-forming regions of space.
  • It also will identify targets for more detailed study by future missions, such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope.

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