NASA's SPHEREx telescope, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, aims to create a 3D map of the universe. This $488 million mission will scan the entire sky, analyzing over 450 million galaxies and 100 million Milky Way stars. Its innovative spectrophotometer will detect frozen molecules crucial for life, study cosmic inflation, and analyze stars invisible to other telescopes. SPHEREx's data could revolutionize our understanding of the universe's formation, the origins of life, and even locate a potential ninth planet in our solar system.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.