NASA has launched a space telescope named SPHEREx to space. The telescope will map over 450 million galaxies during its planned two-year mission. Designed to understand the origins of the universe and the history of galaxies, the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) space telescope was successfully launched into orbit by NASA. This launch conducted with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has sparked great excitement in the scientific community. SPHEREx will scan the sky in infrared light to investigate the expansion of the universe and trace the building blocks of life.

SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION
SPHEREx was designed to understand the early expansion of the universe. This expansion, known as “cosmic inflation,” occurred immediately after the Big Bang and increased the dimensions of the universe by trillions of times. The telescope aims to shed light on the physical foundations of this phenomenon by mapping over 450 million galaxies. Additionally, by mapping a 3D layout of over 100 million stars in the Milky Way, it will explore the building blocks of life in our galaxy.

SPHEREx can measure the overall light emissions of not only large galaxies but also small, diffuse, or distant galaxies that other telescopes cannot detect. This will provide a more comprehensive picture of all light sources in the universe.

SPHEREx’s scientific objectives go beyond just understanding the history of the universe. The telescope will search for essential building blocks of life, such as water and carbon dioxide, in interstellar clouds of gas and dust in the Milky Way. These findings will help in a better understanding of the formation processes of new stars and planets.

TECHNOLOGICAL FEATURES AND WORKING PRINCIPLE
SPHEREx stands out with its advanced infrared hyperspectral imaging system developed to explore the secrets of the universe. After collecting light from the sky, the telescope uses a diffraction grating and a linear variable filter combination to split this light into 102 detailed spectral channels due to its special optical design. This technology allows for detailed recording of the light spectrum obtained from each pixel, enabling deep analysis of the chemical components and physical properties of stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium.

The optical system of SPHEREx is specially optimized for low-resolution but wide-ranging spectral analysis. This system allows for the detection of details such as chemical elements and energy distributions contained in the light at each observation point. Advanced sensors and algorithms can collect data with high precision even from weak light sources, allowing the identification of small differences deep in the universe.

Furthermore, the telescope aims to repeatedly scan the sky during its two-year orbit, recording the spectral signatures of each region along with changing details over time. This continuous scanning process not only creates a unique spectral map covering a vast area but also provides flexible data to unveil complex processes such as cosmic inflation, galaxy formation, and star evolution. The immense dataset obtained will serve as a unique resource for scientists to deeply understand the structural and chemical evolution of the universe.