NEOWISE: Legacy of NASA’s Asteroid-Hunting Telescope

NEOWISE: Legacy of NASA’s Asteroid-Hunting Telescope
NASA ID: JPL-20240801-NEOWISf-0001-NEOWISE Legacy of NASAs Asteroid Hunting Telescope
The NEOWISE mission, NASA’s asteroid-hunting space telescope, is retiring in summer 2024 after over a decade of discovering, tracking, and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs) — asteroids and comets that come close to Earth’s orbit. Without a propulsion system to boost its orbit, NEOWISE, which is short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in the coming months. In this video, mission leaders explain how NEOWISE has revolutionized our understanding of the solar system, better prepared us to predict potential impact events, and paved the way for a new mission: NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor.

Originally launched in 2009 as WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer), the telescope completed its primary mission to conduct an all-sky survey in the infrared spectrum. The spacecraft detected asteroids, stars, ...more
Date Created:2024-08-01
Center:JPL
Keywords: NASA , JPL , Jet Propulsion Laboratory , exoplanets , galaxies , stars , NEOWISE , WISE , asteroids , comets , telescope , images , exploration , tech , technology , robotics , engineering , space , science , scientists , astronomer , mission , universe , solar system , NEO , near-Earth objects , planetary defense , asteroid impact , infrared , end of mission , space images , Amy Mainzer , Joe Masiero , Joseph Masiero , Beth Fabinsky , Caltech
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