NASA’s SPHEREx observatory has completed its first all-sky survey, mapping the entire universe in 102 infrared wavelengths invisible to human eyes. Launched on March 11, 2025, the telescope finished its initial scan just six months later, creating unprecedented cosmic maps that astronomers hope will illuminate the earliest moments after the Big Bang.
The spacecraft orbits Earth approximately 14.5 times daily, capturing around 600 exposures every 24 hours through six detectors. “We essentially have 102 new maps of the entire sky, each one in a different wavelength and containing unique information about the objects it sees,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division. This represents the most detailed multi-wavelength survey ever completed.
SPHEREx will continue operating for another 18 months, completing three additional sky scans. The mission will ultimately gather data on over 450 million galaxies, helping scientists understand cosmic inflation—a period lasting just 10⁻³² seconds after the Big Bang when the universe expanded by a factor of 10³⁰. “SPHEREx is a mid-sized astrophysics mission delivering big science,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher.