NASA has successfully launched the SPHEREx mission, a $488 million initiative designed to map the entire celestial sky and study hundreds of millions of galaxies to gain insights into the universe's formation and evolution. The launch, executed from Vandenberg Space Force Base using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, faced delays due to assessments of the rocket and unfavorable weather conditions. SPHEREx will not only explore the rapid expansion of the universe and cosmic evolution but also investigate the Milky Way for water and life-sustaining elements in the icy clouds between stars, enhancing our understanding of conditions necessary for life and new planetary system formation.
