Several Interesting Space Missions Coming in February -

I stumbled across an interesting article on Space.com that contains more than the headline hints at.

The main part of the story is about NASA's new SPHEREx Infrared Space Telescope.  The James Webb telescope (JWST) is an IR telescope so that leads to asking “what's the difference?”  There are several, so let's start at the beginning:

It's an eggshell white, conical probe named SPHEREx, which (get ready for a mouthful) stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer. And, because it works with infrared light, SPHEREx is meant to reveal things even the trailblazing James Webb Space Telescope cannot.

The main difference optically is that the JWST is a multi-segment, large aperture mirror (best picture of the system here) that's what photographers think of as a telephoto lens.  SPHEREx, by contrast is a wider angle lens, which many users refer to as a panorama lens.  

To be fair, SPHEREx won't rival the JWST's ability to observe highly localized regions of the universe that are confined to the infrared section of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, unlike the JWST, it is an all-sky survey. Whereas the $10 billion JWST is great at observing things like specific nebulas and relatively narrow but tremendously dimensional deep fields, SPHEREx is intended to image the entire sky as seen from Earth.

"We are literally mapping the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colors for the first time in humanity's history, and we will see that every six months," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "This has not been done before on this level of color resolution for our old sky maps."

NASA's web page on the mission adds important content. SPHEREx will map the entire celestial sky illuminating the origins of our universe, galaxies within it, and life’s key ingredients in our own galaxy. 

 Launch is presently scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 27 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket — and SPHEREx won't be the only payload. As part of NASA's Launch Services Program, which connects space missions with appropriate commercial launch vehicles, SPHEREx will share its ride with the agency's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, a constellation of four little satellites meant to study the sun. The duo will lift off from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Central California.

NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory was photographed at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in November 2024 after completing environmental testing. The spacecraft’s three concentric cones help direct heat and light away from the telescope and other components, keeping them cool. Credit: BAE Systems

But wait!  There's more! (...as the commercials say)

The next moon lander from Intuitive Machines, the IM-2 or Athena moon lander arrived "just up the road" at Cape Canaveral, this past Tuesday (Jan. 28).  

Athena — which is Intuitive Machines' second lander — aims to validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the Mons Mouton region, a tall mountain near the moon's south pole. The region is a potential landing site for NASA's Artemis 3 crewed mission.

Athena's four-day launch window opens on February 26, or the day before SPHEREx's launch, and will also ride a Falcon 9 to its route to the moon.  The difference is that Athena is launching from Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A. 

Intuitive Machines' second moon lander, named Athena, arrived on Florida's Space Coast on Jan. 28, 2025. (Image credit: Intuitive Machines)

Payloads aboard Athena include a drill (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain, or TRIDENT) and the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo). It also carries a Micro Nova Hopper, which will target a permanently shadowed crater and seek to detect hydrogen, and the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover.

Once Athena touches down, the Micro Nova Hopper and MAPP rover will deploy to explore the lunar terrain. They will establish a connection using Nokia's Lunar Surface Communication System (LSCS), the first-ever 4G/LTE network on the moon. This is a move away from radio frequency communication and will enable real-time command and control, telemetry transmission, and even high-definition video streaming, in what could be a big step toward establishing sustainable lunar infrastructure.

Two interesting science missions scheduled for two successive days at the end of February.  Now that's a fun story!