NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope will be decommissioned on the 30th of January after 16 years of studying exoplanets, our own solar system and far-off galaxies.
Because it sees in infrared, AKA heat, Spitzer's capabilities have been crucial for NASA's observing missions. The instruments have allowed scientists to collect data from areas of our universe normally clouded by interstellar gas and dust.
The official last day of data collection will be on January 28. On the 30th, a command will be sent to Spitzer from ground control, triggering a “safe mode” and turning off systems on the telescope.
But unlike Hubble, which will be de-orbited to burn up in the atmosphere, Spitzer faces a different fate. This is because the telescope has a very particular orbit, trailing about 158 million miles behind the Earth to keep it away from interfering heat.
In about 53 years, Spitzer’s orbit will take it past ...
