<ul><li>NASA launched the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions on March 11, 2025, to study the Sun and the universe's beginning.</li><li>SPHEREx will explore our universe's origins, the history of galaxies, and the search for life's building blocks.</li><li>PUNCH will investigate how the Sun's outer atmosphere transforms into the solar wind.</li><li>Both missions, launched on a single rocket, aim to enhance our understanding of the cosmos.</li><li>SPHEREx will produce a 3D map of the sky every six months and study 450 million nearby galaxies.</li><li>The mission will also search for hidden frozen water ice and molecules essential for life in our galaxy.</li><li>PUNCH will make 3D observations of the solar system and study space weather events to protect spacecraft and astronauts.</li><li>The missions will operate in low Earth orbit to shield SPHEREx's telescope from the Sun's interference.</li><li>SPHEREx's data will be publicly available for scientific analysis and will probe questions about the universe's origins and potential for life beyond Earth.</li><li>PUNCH aims to shed light on how solar winds and space weather impact Earth and spacecraft in the inner solar system.</li></ul>

NASA Launches Missions to Study Sun, Universe’s Beginning

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