SPHEREx Honored with RNASA Stellar Award
On Friday, April 24, the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) awarded their 2026 Stellar Award to JPL's SPHEREx team "in recognition of...outstanding contributions to the nation in advancing space science and technology for the benefit of all humankind." Photos from the event will be posted on the RNASA site in the coming days.
RNASA Stellar Awards are awarded annually in four categories to recognize heroes of the American space program as teams and as individuals at all stages of their careers. The nominations are reviewed by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers, managers, and academics who select the winners based on whose accomplishments hold the greatest promise for furthering future activities in space.
The SPHEREx infrared mission — which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer — will view the entire sky in 102 spectral bands, collecting data on more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way and 450 million galaxies. Mission goals include furthering cosmology, understanding galaxy evolution, and mapping sources of water ice in our own galaxy, all in support of the search for life in the universe.
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