Los Angeles, United States - March 11, 2025 03/11/2025 08:10 pm (GMT-0700) SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – SpaceX is set to launch the Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's SPHEREx Observatory and PUNCH satellites this evening from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. PT, with a backup opportunity available tomorrow at the same time. This mission marks the third flight for the first stage booster, which has previously supported the launches of NROL-126 and Transporter-12. After stage separation, the booster will return to land at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Residents and visitors in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear sonic booms during the launch, depending on weather and other conditions. During its two-year mission, the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) Observatory will gather data on more than 450 million galaxies and over 100 million stars to enhance our understanding of the universe's evolution. Meanwhile, the PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites will study the Sun and its environment to provide insights into the impact of solar winds on our solar system.