spacetoday.net: Falcon 9 launches NASA space science missions

Posted: Sun, Mar 16, 2025, 3:15 PM ET (1915 GMT)
A Falcon 9 launched two NASA science missions Tuesday night. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:10 pm EDT (0310 GMT Wednesday) and placed into sun-synchronous orbit the SPHEREx infrared space telescope and the four PUNCH smallsats. SPHEREx will perform all-sky infrared spectroscopy with areas of scientific interest ranging from studying the early universe to mapping water in the Milky Way. The PUNCH smallsats will make 3-D maps of the solar corona as it transitions into the solar wind to see how it can affect space weather. The launch was delayed by nearly two weeks because of a variety of issues, primarily with the Falcon 9, and the launch was the first for the rocket since a Starlink mission more than a week ago where the booster was lost in a fire after landing.