VIAVI Solutions revealed its participation in the March 11, 2025, launch of NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission. The mission, a ground-breaking project led by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), will perform the first all-sky spectral survey in the near-infrared spectrum.
Through the mapping of hundreds of millions of galaxies and more than 100 million stars in 102 different infrared color bands, SPHEREx will offer previously unattainable insights into cosmic inflation, galaxy history, and the beginnings of organic compounds and water in planetary systems.
Researchers from all across the world will be able to learn more about the chemical processes that have given rise to life and the enigmas surrounding cosmic inflation to the data collected by SPHEREx.
Modern optical components from VIAVI help the SPHEREx spectrometer record and examine even the smallest infrared signals, which is essential for creating an extensive spectral map.
VIAVI’s Linear Variable Filters divide light wavelengths between 0.75 and 5.0 µm when matched with six precise 2k x 2k detectors. Furthermore, VIAVI’s dichroic beamsplitter splits the incoming light into two detector banks by reflecting 0.75-2.6µm and transmitting 2.6-5.0µm.Â
The design of the SPHEREx spectrophotometer expands upon VIAVI’s contributions to earlier space missions that used Linear Variable Filter technology, such as the MISE instrument on Europa Clipper, which will map the surface ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa, the OVIRS instrument for OSIRIS-REx, which investigated the surface of the asteroid Bennu, and the LEISA instrument on New Horizons, which took spectral images of Jupiter and Pluto.
Leadership Comments
“Today marks a monumental milestone for our entire team at VIAVI,” said Luke Scrivanich, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Optical Security and Performance, VIAVI. “We collaborated with JPL and Caltech engineers, overcame technical challenges, and pushed the boundaries of excellence for our precision optical filters. Congratulations to the NASA, JPL, and Caltech teams.”
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