NASA has officially decommissioned its NEOWISE space telescope after over a decade of vital planetary defense work. The final command to turn off the transmitter was issued from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, marking the end of a mission that significantly advanced our understanding of potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.
The NEOWISE mission, which began as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) in 2009, achieved remarkable scientific milestones. It completed an extensive survey of the infrared sky, detecting over 44,000 solar system objects and discovering more than 3,000 near-Earth objects, including 215 that were previously unknown. Notably, it also identified the famous comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE.
As solar activity caused the spacecraft's orbit to decay, NEOWISE was unable to continue providing usable data and is expected to safely re-enter Earth's atmosphere in late 2024. The mission concluded its scientific operations on July 31, with all remaining data successfully transmitted to Earth.
Looking ahead, the legacy of NEOWISE will continue through the development of NASA's next-generation infrared space telescope, NEO Surveyor. Scheduled for launch no earlier than 2027, NEO Surveyor will enhance the capabilities of the international planetary defense community by focusing on detecting dark asteroids and comets that are challenging to locate.
NASA officials have expressed optimism about the future of planetary defense, emphasizing that the NEOWISE mission has laid the groundwork for ongoing efforts to protect Earth from potential threats.