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NASA Concludes NEOWISE Mission After Over a Decade of Planetary Defense
On Thursday, engineers at NASA’s NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission issued the final command to turn off the spacecraft’s transmitter, marking the end of a remarkable ten-year journey dedicated to planetary defense. This mission was pivotal in identifying asteroids and comets, including those that could potentially threaten Earth.
The concluding command was transmitted from the Earth Orbiting Missions Operation Center at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, attended by both current and former mission team members, along with officials from NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The signal was relayed to NEOWISE via NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, officially decommissioning the spacecraft. NASA previously announced that the scientific survey concluded on July 31, and all remaining scientific data has been successfully downlinked.
“The NEOWISE mission has been an extraordinary success story, enhancing our understanding of our place in the universe by tracking asteroids and comets that could pose hazards to Earth,” stated Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “While we are saddened to see this brave mission conclude, we are excited about the future scientific discoveries it has paved the way for, laying the groundwork for the next generation of planetary defense telescopes.”
The decision to conclude the NEOWISE mission was made as the spacecraft is expected to descend too low in its orbit to yield usable scientific data. Increased solar activity has been heating the upper atmosphere, causing it to expand and create drag on the spacecraft, which lacks a propulsion system to maintain its orbit. Once decommissioned, NEOWISE is projected to safely disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere by late 2024.
Throughout its operational lifespan, the infrared survey telescope surpassed the scientific objectives of not just one, but two missions, beginning with the WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission. Launched in December 2009, WISE was managed by JPL and tasked with scanning the entire infrared sky over a seven-month period. By July 2010, WISE had successfully completed this mission with unprecedented sensitivity compared to earlier surveys. Shortly thereafter, the telescope exhausted its coolant, which had prevented heat generated by the spacecraft from interfering with infrared observations.
NASA subsequently extended the mission under the NEOWISE name until February 2011 to finalize a survey of main belt asteroids, after which the spacecraft entered hibernation. Analysis of the data revealed that while the absence of coolant limited the telescope’s ability to observe the faintest infrared objects, it could still carry out precise observations of asteroids and comets that emit strong infrared signals due to solar heating.
In 2013, NASA reactivated the telescope as part of the Near-Earth Object Observations Program, a precursor to the agency’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, to continue the NEOWISE survey of asteroids and comets vital for planetary defense.
“The NEOWISE mission has been instrumental in mapping the skies and enhancing our understanding of the near-Earth environment. Its extensive discoveries have enriched our knowledge of asteroids and comets, while significantly bolstering our nation’s planetary defense efforts,” remarked Laurie Leshin, director of NASA JPL. “As we bid farewell to NEOWISE, we also celebrate the achievements of the dedicated team behind this mission.”
By consistently observing the sky from low Earth orbit, NEOWISE produced all-sky maps comprising 1.45 million infrared measurements of over 44,000 solar system objects. Among the more than 3,000 near-Earth objects detected, 215 were identified for the first time by NEOWISE. The mission also led to the discovery of 25 new comets, including the well-known comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, which captivated skywatchers during the summer of 2020.
In addition to leaving a wealth of scientific data, NEOWISE has contributed to the development of NASA’s first infrared space telescope specifically designed for detecting near-Earth objects: NEO Surveyor.
“The NEOWISE mission has provided a unique and long-lasting data set of the infrared sky that will be invaluable to scientists for decades to come,” stated Amy Mainzer, principal investigator for both NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Moreover, its legacy lies in establishing a foundation for NASA’s next planetary defense infrared space telescope.”
Managed by JPL, NEO Surveyor will focus on identifying some of the most elusive near-Earth objects, including dark asteroids and comets that reflect minimal visible light, as well as objects approaching Earth from the direction of the Sun. This next-generation infrared space telescope will significantly enhance the capabilities of the international planetary defense community, which includes NASA-funded ground surveys. Construction of NEO Surveyor is already well underway, with a launch date anticipated no earlier than 2027.
More Mission Information
The NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor missions align with the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 mandated that NASA discover and characterize at least 90% of near-Earth objects larger than 460 feet (140 meters) that come within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of Earth’s orbit. Such objects pose a significant risk of regional damage or worse in the event of an impact.
Managed by JPL, the NEOWISE mission operates under NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office within the Science Mission Directorate. The science instrument was developed by the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, while BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, constructed the spacecraft. The processing, archiving, and distribution of scientific data are conducted at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena, California, with Caltech overseeing JPL on behalf of NASA.
