Nasa postpones launch of two major space missions: SPHEREx and PUNCH

Nasa has postponed the launch of two major space missions, SPHEREx and PUNCH, which were set to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday night from California.
“The additional time will allow teams to continue rocket checkouts ahead of liftoff,” according to an update shared by Nasa. “A new launch date will be announced once confirmed on the range,” it said.

SPHEREx will scan the entire sky in infrared light, uncovering secrets about galaxies and cosmic history, while PUNCH will study the sun's outer atmosphere and solar wind.

SPHEREx
SPHEREx, short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, is a space telescope that will survey the entire sky in 102 colours of infrared light. It will capture about 600 images per day, studying millions of stars and galaxies. Scientists will use the data to track how galaxies have evolved over time, identify frozen water and other essential elements across the Milky Way, and create a three-dimensional map of galaxies to help researchers understand cosmic inflation after the Big Bang.
PUNCH
PUNCH, or Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, is a set of four suitcase-sized satellites designed to study the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, and the solar wind. One satellite will take detailed images of the sun’s corona, while the other three will track solar wind and coronal mass ejections—massive solar eruptions that can impact Earth’s power grids and satellites. By analysing polarised light, PUNCH will map the movement of solar particles and help improve space weather predictions.