NASA’s NEOWISE telescope, dedicated to planetary defense, has officially ended its mission after 15 years of detecting near-Earth asteroids and comets. Originally designed for a seven-month mission, NEOWISE exceeded expectations by discovering over 200 new near-Earth objects and 25 comets, as well as collecting data on 44,000 other celestial bodies in our solar system.
Despite its extended mission, NEOWISE is now reaching the end of its lifespan due to the sun’s activity dragging it towards Earth’s atmosphere. Without the ability to maneuver into a higher orbit, the telescope is expected to safely burn up in the atmosphere by late 2024. This marks the end of an era for the telescope that provided valuable insights into our cosmic neighborhood.
NEOWISE, originally known as WISE, was launched in 2009 to map the sky in infrared light. Its sensitivity far surpassed expectations, leading to an extended mission under the name NEOWISE to survey the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Although the telescope was briefly put into hibernation, it was reactivated in 2013 to continue its search for near-Earth objects.
The retirement of NEOWISE leaves a gap in Earth’s planetary defense system, but plans for a successor are already underway. NEO Surveyor, scheduled for launch in 2027, will carry on the asteroid-hunting mission of NEOWISE with even more advanced capabilities. With the ability to scan the sky every two weeks and search for asteroids near the sun’s glare, NEO Surveyor aims to fill the void left by its predecessor.
In the meantime, ground-based telescopes like the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona and Pan-STARRS in Hawaii will continue to monitor the skies for any potential threats. Thanks to the efforts of these observatories, astronomers have mapped the orbits of over 34,000 near-Earth asteroids, ensuring that none pose a danger to our planet for the next century.
As we bid farewell to NEOWISE, we look forward to the advancements and discoveries that NEO Surveyor will bring in the years to come. The legacy of NEOWISE lives on in the valuable data it has provided and the groundwork it has laid for future asteroid-hunting missions.
