NEOWISE Telescope Will Close Age After 14 Years Of Operation

NEOWISE will stop operating (photo: dock. NASA JPL)

JAKARTA NASA will stop observing asteroids with the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) telescope. This is because the telescope will die and be replaced with the latest telescopes. The NEOWISE mission will end on July 31 and its role will be replaced by the Near Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor). The telescope is the first space binoculars to use infrared and built specifically for Earth safety. NEO Surveyor will observe a variety of dangerous objects near Earth. The technology, which will be launched at the end of 2027, is expected to be able to create Earth's defense strategy from the threat of dangerous space objects. Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE's Main Researcher, said that NEO Surveyor was built on the basis of NEOWISE technology. It's just that the technology used in NEO Surveyor has been developed so that the results could outperform the telescope being replaced. "NEOWISE has been key in helping us develop and operate NASA's next-generation infrared space telescope. This is a precursor mission, Amy said, quoted through a NASA report.

When it was first launched, NEOWISE was referred to as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The telescope was flown in 2009 with an observation contract for six months. After that, NASA extended its life until 2011. After three years of operation, WISE hibernated in a very long time due to the absence of cooling. The telescope was only reactivated in 2013 under a new name and eventually operated for 14 years.