Destruction of the NEOWISE/WISE space telescope

The astronomical satellite that began being called WISE in its main mission and then NEOWISE during a new mission not initially planned, ceased its activity several months ago and now no longer exists.

Originally launched into space by NASA under the name WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) in December 2009, within the framework of the mission of the same name, this space telescope surveyed the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, detecting asteroids, dim stars and some of the faintest galaxies detectable in deep space. WISE ended its primary mission when it exhausted its cryogenic coolant and went into hibernation in February 2011. It returned to service in December 2013 when NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division assigned it a new name and new mission, “NEOWISE”, with the goal of identifying asteroids and comets throughout the solar system, with special attention to those that pass close to Earth’s orbit.

When asteroids pass close enough to the Sun, the radiation they receive from it heats them and as a consequence they release this heat in the form of weak but telltale infrared radiation. By studying this infrared signature, experts can find out the size of an asteroid, among other things, and by combining this information with measurements made with optical telescopes, obtain additional data. Combining this information can help determine the degree of reflectance of its surface and thus obtain clues about its composition.

NEOWISE observed more than 3,000 celestial bodies that pass close to Earth (and that could potentially pose an impact risk), helping us better understand our potentially dangerous neighbors in the solar system. In fact, the observations made by NEOWISE of 215 of these stars were the first in history. It also carried out infrared measurements of more than 44,000 objects in the solar system. And it discovered 25 comets, including one that was named after the mission and that fascinated observers around the world in 2020. The data collected in the mission has been used in two thousand studies published in academic journals.

Artist’s recreation of WISE / NEOWISE with a background landscape taken from one of their photographs of the firmament in the infrared band. The chain of red dots near the center of the image corresponds to the passage of Holda, the first asteroid that this space telescope detected shortly after being reactivated in 2013. (Image: NASA JPL / Caltech)

The arrival of a periodic increase in solar activity heated the Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing it to expand and creating drag for NEOWISE. This, without having the propulsive capacity to counteract the effects of this atmospheric expansion, was inexorably losing altitude. Its orbit became too low for the spacecraft to provide usable scientific data.

Given this situation, NASA decided to officially withdraw NEOWISE from active service. On July 31, 2024, the spacecraft ceased its scientific activity and sent the remaining scientific data to Earth. On August 1, the mission team sent the spacecraft a final order to disconnect its transmitter.

On November 1 (or 2, depending on the time zone), NEOWISE completed re-entry into the atmosphere, burning up and breaking up in the atmosphere. (Fountain: NCYT by Amazings)