PUNCH Mission Prepares for Launch

Four small spacecraft, each about the size of a suitcase, are set to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California no earlier than February 28. Designed and built by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, these spacecraft are part of NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission. They will share a ride into space with NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) observatory.