NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) Mission – Timeline, Crew & Spacecraft

NASAs space missions often make us think about important ethical questions, like how to explore space responsibly, making sure we dont harm other planets (planetary protection), and how to design machines that can make decisions on their own. Thinking about these issues helps us consider how to do things the right way, be accountable, and serve the public good.

With SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer), NASA seeks to deepen our knowledge of Deep Space (all-sky infrared survey), exploring its capabilities, environment, and contributions to space exploration.

• On Planned no earlier than April 2025, the launch of SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) marked the commencement of a mission with far-reaching scientific goals.  
• With a clearly defined scientific objective—namely, to All-sky infrared spectral survey to study universe origin, water/organics—the team is poised to gather unprecedented data and significantly advance our understanding.  
• This flight is recognized as a Astrophysics satellite (infrared survey - Medium Explorer Program), highlighting its overall importance and contribution.  
• The powerful Falcon 9 (planned) stood poised on the launchpad, a testament to human ambition and engineering. 
• The launch took place at Vandenberg SFB (planned), marking the start of the mission. 
• The mission continued for 2-year prime mission (planned) before concluding. 
• NASA led the planning and execution of the mission. 
• The operation concluded as In development. 
• NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer), with a projected cost of ~$250 million (excluding launch), marks a milestone in automated space operations. 

Featuring Wide-field telescope with near-infrared spectro-photometer, SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) aims to collect unprecedented data and enable more autonomous mission operations.

SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) incorporated Linear Variable Filters for spectroscopy over wide field to enable autonomous decision-making and enhance adaptability in space environments. This comprehensive article on NASA SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) Space mission helps UPSC aspirants understand the full life cycle of a modern space mission which is relevant for GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3, GS Paper 4, and Essay.

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NASA SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) Space Mission Overview 

SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) – Space Mission Profile for UPSC
Target Celestial Body	Deep Space (all-sky infrared survey)
Launch Date	Planned no earlier than April 2025
Objective	All-sky infrared spectral survey to study universe origin, water/organics
Mission Type	Astrophysics satellite (infrared survey - Medium Explorer Program)
Launch Vehicle	Falcon 9 (planned)
Launch Site	Vandenberg SFB (planned)
Mission Duration	2-year prime mission (planned)
Agencies Involved	NASA
Mission Status	In development
Estimated Cost	~$250 million (excluding launch)
Proposal Date	Selected 2019
New Instruments/Payloads	Wide-field telescope with near-infrared spectro-photometer
Key Technologies Used	Linear Variable Filters for spectroscopy over wide field

Also, Checkout Sunita Williams’ Missions to the International Space Station

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SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) Space Mission Global Contributions

SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) highlights the role of South Korea (test equipment and scientific collaboration) in contributing to autonomous systems and shared space objectives.

• Ball Aerospace (spacecraft/instrument), Caltech (PI/payload lead), JPL (management) contributed essential systems and platforms that enabled timely delivery and advanced operational readiness for the mission. 
• The use of Data will be publicly available encouraged collaborative validation of autonomous technologies and mission outcomes. 
• SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) had a significant impact on global space policy as Unique all-sky infrared spectral survey for cosmology and astrophysics, influencing international collaboration and setting new standards for space exploration. 

Global Collaboration & Strategic Impact
International Partners	South Korea (test equipment and scientific collaboration)
Payload Contributions	N/A (beyond collaboration)
Commercial Involvement	Ball Aerospace (spacecraft/instrument), Caltech (PI/payload lead), JPL (management)
Data Sharing Agreements	Data will be publicly available
Impact on Global Space Policy	Unique all-sky infrared spectral survey for cosmology and astrophysics

Checkout: Daily UPSC Current Affairs for your upcoming exam and get thorough with detailed Insights, Trends and Latest Developments for UPSC CSE Exam

Challenges & Risk in SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) Space Mission

• Passive cooling system performance for detectors posed a potential mission-limiting condition, but proactive mitigation ensured continued operation of SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer). 
• Environmental considerations were factored into SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer), resulting in Will operate in low Earth orbit as its end-of-life footprint. 

Operational Risks, Environmental Impact & Challenges
Risk & Mitigation Log	Passive cooling system performance for detectors
Environmental & Sustainability Footprint	Will operate in low Earth orbit
Challenges Faced	N/A (in development)

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Mission Timeline of SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) NASA Space Mission

• The mission concept was officially proposed on Selected 2019. 
• On June 2021, the mission cleared a major engineering checkpoint. 
• The full structure of the NASA space mission was successfully assembled on Ongoing, marking a major milestone in spacecraft readiness. 
• On Not applicable, mission control confirmed the spacecraft’s successful encounter with its target, with all systems performing as expected. 
• The date 2 years after commissioning (planned) marked the successful conclusion of the missions scheduled scientific and operational tasks. 

Mission Timeline & Key Milestones
Proposal Date	Selected 2019
Critical Design Review (CDR) Date	June 2021
Assembly Complete Date	Ongoing
Launch Date	Planned no earlier than April 2025
Landing / Flyby Date	Not applicable
End of Primary Mission Date	2 years after commissioning (planned)

Get to Know the detailed UPSC Syllabus for IAS Prelims & Mains Exam!

UPSC Relevance of SPHEREx Telescope (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer)

• The Prelims syllabus integrates recent breakthroughs from NASA missions, emphasizing their impact on global scientific progress.
• GS Paper 3 often features questions on space technology, where NASA’s breakthroughs provide useful insights into international scientific progress.
• UPSC CSE GS Paper 4 (Ethics) could present case studies based on the teamwork and leadership displayed during high-stakes NASA missions, assessing ethical decision-making in extreme environments.
• NASA Space Missions provide cross-cutting content useful in UPSC optional subjects like PSIR, Geography, and Public Administration by exemplifying governance models, global diplomacy, and spatial data infrastructure.

Also, Learn about International Space Station (ISS)

Past UPCS Mains PYQs on NASA Space Missions

Q1. Launched on 25th December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope has been much in the news since then. What are its unique features which make it superior to its predecessor space telescopes? What are the key goals of this mission? What potential benefits does it hold for the human race? (2022, GS Paper 3) 

Q2. How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth? (2017, GS Paper 1)

Q3. The safe landing of the ‘Curiosity’ Rover under NASA’s space programme has sparked many possibilities. What are those and how could humankind benefit from them? (2012, GS Paper 2)

Past UPCS Prelims PYQs on NASA Space Missions

Q1 [2022]: Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” often talked about in the media?

(a) A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.

(b) A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.

(c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

(d) A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface.

Answer: (c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

Explanation: While this question pertains to a military concept, NASAs research into orbital mechanics and space trajectories contributes to the broader understanding of such technologies.

Q2 [2020]: “The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft.” The experiment in question refers to:

(a) Voyager-2

(b) New Horizons

(c) Lisa Pathfinder

(d) Evolved LISA

Answer: (d) Evolved LISA

Explanation: Evolved LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a space-based gravitational wave observatory developed by ESA with contributions from NASA.

Q3 [2017]: What is the purpose of ‘evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA)’ project?

(a) To detect neutrinos

(b) To detect gravitational waves

(c) To detect the effectiveness of missile defence system

(d) To study the effect of solar flares on our communication systems

Answer: (b) To detect gravitational waves

Explanation: Evolved Laser Space Interferometer Space Antenna (ELISA) project was widely in the news due to the discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO detector and the subsequent success of the LISA pathfinder project. The European Space Agency is leading the ELISA mission. The project is initiated to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves.

Q4 [2016]: What is ‘Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)’, recently in the news?

(a) Electric plane tested by NASA

(b) Solar-powered two-seater aircraft designed by Japan

(c) Space observatory launched by China

(d) Reusable rocket designed by ISRO

Answer: (a) Electric plane tested by NASA
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Explanation: GL-10 is a remotely piloted plane similar to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). It is designed and developed in such a way that it can take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane. It is a battery-powered 10-engine with a wingspan of 3.05 meters. Eight electric motors are mounted on the wings. 2 electric motors are mounted on the tail. It weighs a maximum of 28.1 kilograms at takeoff. Due to its versatile vertical takeoff and landing ability, it produces less noise. It can be used as a UAV for small package delivery or vertical takeoff and landing, as well as long-endurance surveillance for agriculture, mapping, and other applications. Its modified scaled-up version can be used as a persons air vehicle.

Q5 [2015]: The term ‘Goldilocks Zone’ is often seen in the news in the context of:

(a) The limits of habitable zone above the surface of the Earth

(b) Regions inside the Earth where shale gas is available

(c) Search for the Earth-like planets in outer space

(d) Search for meteorites containing precious metals

Answer: (c) Search for the Earth-like planets in outer space

Explanation: The Goldilocks Zone is the livable zone around a star where the temperature is not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on a planet. It is a metaphor for the childrens story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a young girl selects from sets of three objects, eschewing the extremes (such as those that are enormous or small, hot or cold) and fixing on the one that is just right in the middle. The Goldilocks zone of the Sun surrounds the Earth. All of Earths water would freeze if it were found where the dwarf planet Pluto is; however, all of Earths water would boil out if it were found where Mercury is.

Also, Get to Know What was NASA's Parker Solar Probe Mission

UPSC Practice Questions on NASA Space Missions

Q1. In December 2021, SpaceX has launched 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from a California base. Which rocket has been used to launch these satellites?
1. Voyger Cassini
2. Falcon-9
3. Falcon-7
4. Rover-4
Answer: Falcon-9
Solution: A SpaceX rocket carried 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from California on 18 December 2021. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from coastal Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon's first stage returned and landed on a SpaceX drone ship in the ocean. The mission was the 34th launch for Starlink, a constellation of nearly 2000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Q2. Recently seen in the news, DART mission is launched by _______.
1. CNSA
2. ISRO
3. NASA
4. ESA
Answer: NASA
Solution: Just two weeks after its launch, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test DART spacecraft has opened its eye and returned its first images from space a major operational milestone for the spacecraft and DART team. Hence option 3 is correct.

Q3. Which one of the following is not a launch vehicle technology?
1. GSLV
2. ASLV
3. PSLV
4. MSLV
Answer: MSLV
Solution: Launch vehicles or launch systems are used to transport spacecraft from the Earth's surface into space. To establish a sustainable orbit, a velocity of roughly Mach 25 or about 8 km/s is required. In 1964 during a test flight, NASA's largest launch vehicle, the Saturn SA-5, sent a record-breaking 19 tonnes into orbit. The first American Gemini flight, an unpiloted test that made four orbits and was successfully recovered, took place on April 8, 1964. The development of launch vehicles in India began in the early 1970s. In 1980, the first experimental Satellite Launch Vehicle SLV-3 was built. In 1992, an augmented version of this, ASLV, was successfully introduced.

Q4. The mission aims to put humans back on the moon for the first time after the Apollo 17 mission. The missions will also send the first woman and first person of colour to the lunar surface. This is most likely the description of
1. Voyager-2 Space Probe
2. Artemis program
3. New Horizons Mission
4. DART Mission
Answer: Artemis program
Solution: CAPSTONE Launches to Test New Orbit for NASA's Artemis Moon Missions. NASA's Artemis mission aims to put humans back on the moon for the first time after the Apollo 17 mission, fifty years ago. The space agency has built the most powerful rocket ever, the Space Launch System SLS, which will carry all the spacecraft part of Artemis missions. The Artemis missions will also send the first woman and first person of colour to the lunar surface. The expected launch time for Artemis 1 is August 2022, though earlier this was supposed to be in May 2022.

Q5. The James Web Space Telescope was launched in December 2021 through.
1. Arian 2 rocket
2. Arian 4 rocket
3. Arian 5 rocket
4. Arian 1 rocket
Answer: Arian 5 rocket
Solution: The James Webb Space Telescope JWST is a 21st-century international space observatory that was launched on December 25, 2021. It arrived just at Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point in January 2022. An Ariane 5 rocket carried the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit. The European Space Agency's contribution to the mission includes the launch vehicle and launch site.

Q6. In December 2022 which of the following Arab countries launched lunar spacecraft?
1. UAE
2. Saudi Arab
3. Qatar
4. Kuwait
Answer: UAE
Solution: UAE successfully launches first-ever Arab-Built lunar spacecraft. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried into space the first ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft, on 12 Dec 2022. It was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Rashid Rover was built by Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre MBRSC, in the United Arab Emirates UAE, and is being delivered by the HAKUTO-R lander, engineered by a Japanese lunar exploration company in space.

Q7. _____'s rover Perseverance to begin dropping samples of rock on surface of the Planet _____
1. Roscosmos, Jupiter
2. ISRO, Mars
3. NASA, Mars
4. JAXA, Earth
Answer: NASA, Mars
Solution: NASA's Mars rover Perseverance to begin dropping samples of rock on the surface of the Red Planet Mars. The materials have been packaged in small titanium tubes with the expectation they can be picked up by a future mission and brought home. It is a major milestone in the try to find out whether there is life on Mars. Perseverance will place 10 cylinders on the ground at its exploration site in Jezero Crater. They contain a mix of volcanic and sedimentary rocks that the robot has drilled over the past 15 months. The location for the drop is a flat piece of terrain that’s been nicknamed Three Forks.

Q8. Artemis III is a mission of which among the following space agencies?
1. CNSA
2. ISRO
3. ESA
4. NASA
Answer: NASA
Solution: Artemis III is a mission under NASA's Artemis program, aiming to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon. The mission is planned to land on the lunar South Pole region by 2025. It aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon, paving the way for future missions to Mars. The Artemis program is named after the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister of Apollo, the namesake of the original Moon missions.

Q9. Consider the following statements regarding Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope:
1. Its objective is to aid in the understanding of dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.
2. It will be situated or parked in the Lagrange point.
3. Its field view will be greater than the Hubble Telescope.
Which of the above statements are correct?
1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: 1, 2 and 3
Solution: The Hindu: Scientists have created a gargantuan synthetic survey of a section of the universe that shows what we can expect from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s future observations. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope or Roman Space Telescope RST is a NASA deep space infrared observatory. RST will help answer essential astrophysics questions about dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics. Hence statement 1 is correct. It is set to launch around 2026 or 2027. The mission is projected to last for five years. RST will be situated at Lagrange point 2, a stable gravitational point between Earth and the Sun. Hence statement 2 is correct. The primary mirror of the RST has a diameter of 2.4 meters, the same size as the mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope. It will have a field of view that is 100 times greater than the Hubble infrared instrument, capturing more of the sky with less observing time. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Q10. In May 2023, a Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of dragon spacecraft launched from Florida. It is a mission of which of the following?
1. Blue Origin
2. ISRO
3. Space X
4. NASA
Answer: Space X
Solution: Falcon 9 rocket with crew dragon spacecraft launched from Florida. The Falcon 9 carrier rocket, along with the Crew Dragon spacecraft and a commercial crew of four people, has successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to SpaceX. The mission, called Axiom Mission 2 Ax-2, was launched at 5:37 p.m. Eastern Time 21:37 GMT on Sunday. The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket is expected to land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is located near the launch site. Axiom Space, based in Houston, is sending a commercial crew to the International Space Station ISS for the second time. The Ax-2 crew consists of retired NASA astronaut commander Peggy Whitson, US pilot John Shoffner, Saudi fighter pilot Ali Alqarni, and research technician Rayyanah Barnawi, who will be the first Saudi woman in space. The Ax-2 crew will join the regular crew at the ISS and participate in scientific work during their mission. Axiom Space's first crewed mission Ax-1 took place in April 2022.

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Also, Read about Axiom 4 Mission (Ax-4) for UPSC