NASA announces the closure of the NEOWISE telescope, ending its mission to explore the universe and officially detect near-Earth asteroids in more than 15 years.
The space telescope, formerly known as WISE or the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, was launched into space on December 14, 2009 with an original mission to record wide-angle images of the sky in the infrared spectrum. Before the end of the primary mission in July 2010
NASA decided to put the spacecraft into hibernation mode in 2011 because the WISE camera had exhausted its cooling system. As a result, heat waves interfered with the exploration of objects in the infrared wavelength range. Before the mission was redesigned in 2013 and the name was changed to NEOWISE with a new mission of “Save the World.”
NEOWISE begins a new mission by mapping the sky from orbit around Earth. It reveals the locations of more than 44,000 near-Earth objects, including asteroids and comets, including the famous comet 2020 C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), which will not return to the inner solar system for another 6,800 years.
NEOWISE's mission ended on July 31 when the telescope encountered atmospheric resistance. Without a propulsion system to help raise the orbit, NEOWISE was no longer able to effectively observe near-Earth objects.
NEOWISE image 26,886,704 reveals parts of the constellation Oven in the southern hemisphere on August 1, the last image before the telescope's official mission ends.
“While we are sad to see NEOWISE’s success,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Nicholas Fox, “in helping us understand our place in the universe. Detecting potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids and comets, the mission must end. But we are excited about future discovery missions. This will be the foundation for the next generation of space telescopes.”
The mission team successfully downloaded all images and scientific data from the camera before sending the final command to shut down the NEOWISE camera system, which will gradually degrade and burn up safely in Earth's atmosphere in late 2024.
Image: NASA/JPL
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