12 Incredible Space Missions Set to Unravel Universe's Biggest Mysteries

9. SPHEREx: Mapping the Infrared Universe

Think of SPHEREx as the universe’s ultimate mapping project—only instead of roads and cities, it’s charting galaxies, dust, and water across the cosmos. Set for launch in 2025, this NASA infrared telescope will create a detailed 3D map of the entire sky, aiming to reveal secrets about cosmic inflation, the history of galaxy formation, and even the ingredients for planets. What’s unique? SPHEREx will scan in over 100 different colors of infrared light, spotting phenomena invisible to ordinary telescopes. These insights are expected to fuel discoveries about where water (and maybe life) might form in planetary nurseries far from Earth. The results? New clues about the birth and fate of the universe, all delivered in vivid infrared detail.