Space Stories: SPHEREx Starts Mapping, Studying an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere, and Explosive Diamonds

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Image (Credit): The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) observatory. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Engadget: “NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Has Begun its Mission to Map the Entire Sky in 3D“

A space observatory designed to map the entire sky over a period of two years to further our understanding of the early universe has started snapping images. SPHEREx, which launched in early March, got started with its observations this past week after over a month of setup procedures and system checks, according to NASA. The space telescope will complete about 14.5 orbits of Earth per day, capturing roughly 3,600 images daily and observing the sky in an unprecedented 102 wavelengths of infrared light. Its observations will eventually be combined to create four “all-sky” maps.

—Sci.News: “Webb Determines Atmospheric Makeup of Sub-Neptune TOI-421b“

Sub-Neptunes are high-occurrence exoplanets that have no solar system analog. Much smaller than gas giants and typically cooler than hot-Jupiter exoplanets, these worlds were extremely challenging to observe before the launch of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Many of sub-Neptunes appear to be very highly obscured by clouds and hazes, which have made it impossible to determine their atmospheric makeup. Now, astronomers using Webb have captured the transmission spectrum of the sub-Neptune TOI-421b and uncovered the chemical fingerprints of its atmosphere.

—Study Finds: “A Star 30,000 Light-Years Away May Have Forged The Gold In Your Jewelry“

The gold in your wedding ring may have come from a star’s explosive death. For decades, scientists have hunted for the factories that produce the universe’s heaviest elements, and now they’ve found an unexpected one: magnetar giant flares, cosmic explosions that release more energy in a millisecond than our Sun does in 100,000 years. Researchers have confirmed that these titanic blasts create the elements that make up our jewelry, electronics, and even our bodies.

Happenings with the Chinese Space Station

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Image (Credit): The successful launch of three astronauts to the Tiangong space station via China’s Long March 2F rocket on April 24. 2025. (Andy Wong/AP)

The Chinese space program continues to operate and advance as NASA faces daunting cuts and general disorientation under the Department of Government Efficiency (a misnomer if there ever was one).

On April 24, China sent three new astronauts (the Shenzhou-20 crew) to its Tiangong space station, while three astronauts (the Shenzhou-19 crew) safely returned from the space station last week after six months in space.

It is important to remember that the rest of the world wants to advance in space even if the US chooses to chase its tail and destroy its own asset and reputation. None of this is necessary, but that is where we are.

One might even say the US is undergoing a ridiculous DEI purge at NASA and throughout the government in the same way China went through its ill-fated Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s.

Paul Krugman had a good piece on this, stating:

Once you’ve seen the parallel between what MAGA is trying to do and China’s Cultural Revolution, the similarities are everywhere. Maoists sent schoolteachers to do farm labor; Trumpists are talking about putting civil servants to work in factories.

We need to focus on the future again, and soon.

Trump Administration Proposes 25 Percent Cut to NASA’s Budget

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It should come as no surprise at this point that NASA will fall victim to massive budget cuts like so many other civilian agencies. While it will not disappear like the US Agency for International Development, it will be severely wounded as the result of a proposed 25 percent cut to its budget.

The White House’s proposed 2026 budget is setting aside $7 billion for the Moon missions and $1 billion for Mars missions, but it seems just about everything else is up for grabs. For instance, we would see the show shutdown of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft so they could become fully commercial. In addition, the orbiting lunar Gateway will be cut completely.

Specifically, the budget summary states:

The Budget phases out the grossly expensive and delayed Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after three flights. SLS alone costs $4 billion per launch and is 140 percent over budget. The Budget funds a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the Moon with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions. The Budget also proposes to terminate the Gateway, a small lunar space station in development with international partners, which would have been used to support future SLS and Orion missions.

Moreover, the Mars funding would not cover the sample return mission. Hence, SpaceX might get a boost to head towards Mars while we are stranding samples that help us to understand why we might want to go to Mars. We will also see the end of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, pruning back the accomplishments we have made since the Hubble Space Telescope to make the universe more available to scientists and the public.

If we ignore the future of the Artemis mission for a moment, a NASA press release boasted about all the events over the past 100 days to prepare for the Artemis mission. This is a hopeful sign that the Moon mission is still vital and viable at the moment, even with the defunding efforts underway. However, given some of the recent failures of the private sector efforts to reach the Moon, and the continual delays in SpaceX’s Starship, the future for Moon missions after the SLS does not look too promising at the moment.

The future also looks somewhat bleak when you look at proposed cuts to NASA’s funding for space science, space technology, and STEM programs. The endless faith in the private sector forgets the benefits of a government supporting and nudging these efforts.

As Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society, clearly stated:

These cuts would cause irreparable losses, throwing away billions of dollars invested by the U.S. taxpayers in productive space hardware and infrastructure. Space science is a critical national investment that engages our cutting edge economic, scientific, and educational abilities across the country.

Space Quote: Escaping the Aches and Pains of Earth

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Image (Credit): NASA astronaut Don Pettit. (NASA)

“You’re floating, and your body, all these little aches and pains, and everything heal up, and you feel like you’re 30 years old again and free of pain, free of everything, and ready to do your mission work. So, I love being in orbit. It’s a great place to be for me and my physiology.”

-Comment by NASA astronaut Don Pettit during a press conference after his return to Earth from the International Space Station. The 70-year-old spent 220 days on the station. His 70th birthday was the same day he returned to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.