NASA’s Space Telescope Will Recreate a Map of the Entire Universe

NASA’s SPHEREx observatory was launched back in March.

Following a series of tests and preparations in orbit, the instrument is now ready to embark on its scientific mission. As part of this mission, the space telescope will capture more than three and a half unique images of the Universe every day. This unprecedented effort will make it possible to create the most detailed and accurate map of the cosmos to date — a document without parallel. Moreover, researchers will not merely identify, but chart the precise positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in three-dimensional graphics.

This specialized spacecraft, designed for astronomical observations from space, is set to complete over 11,000 orbits during its 25-month research campaign. In that period, it will circle our planet approximately 14.5 times per day.

Unlike previous missions, this observatory is capable of observing cosmic processes by capturing 102 distinct “shades” of infrared light — wavelengths invisible to the human eye, yet potentially containing critical information for scientific discovery. For example, this data will shed new light on the origin of the Universe, the composition of interstellar matter, the evolution of galaxies, and the lifecycle of stars within the Milky Way.

Another key question facing scientists is what occurred in the fraction of a second immediately after the Big Bang. One leading theory — the hypothesis of cosmic inflation — suggests that during that moment, space expanded and increased in size by several trillion times. This rapid inflation should have left detectable traces, which can be found in distant galaxies. SPHEREx is designed to help pinpoint their locations.