On Tuesday, March 11 at 8:10 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched NASA’s SPHEREx observatory and PUNCH satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Photos by Satnews.
This was the third flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-126 and Transporter-12.
During its two-year mission, the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) Observatory will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars to improve our understanding of how the universe evolved while also searching for water and oxygen molecules. The PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites will observe the Sun and its environment to help scientists better understand the effect of solar winds on our solar system.
SpaceX ready for Tuesday launch of NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory and PUNCH satellites
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, March 11 for Falcon 9’s launch of NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory and PUNCH satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 8:10 p.m. PT, with a backup opportunity available on Wednesday, March 12 at the same time.
The forecast calls for a temperature of 53°F, broken clouds, 63% cloud cover and a wind speed of 5mph.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about one hour prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
During its two-year mission, the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) Observatory will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars to improve our understanding of how the universe evolved while also searching for water and oxygen molecules. The PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites will observe the Sun and its environment to help scientists better understand the effect of solar winds on our solar system.
This is the third flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-126 and Transporter-12. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
There is the possibility that residents of and visitors to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.