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| WISE (satellite) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer |
| Acronym | WISE |
| Operator | NASA |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace, Dillard University, University of California, Los Angeles, Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Launch date | December 14, 2009 |
| Launch vehicle | Delta II |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base |
| Orbit | Low Earth orbit |
| Instruments | 40 cm infrared telescope, four infrared bands (3.4, 4.6, 12, 22 μm) |
| Mission duration | Primary: 10 months; Extended: NEOWISE ongoing |
WISE (satellite) was a NASA-funded infrared space telescope designed to perform an all-sky survey in the mid-infrared. Built by contractors including Ball Aerospace and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it mapped the sky in four wavelength bands, producing catalogs and image archives that transformed research in astrophysics, planetary science, and Solar System studies. The mission enabled discoveries of brown dwarfs, near-Earth objects, and obscured galaxies, and it later continued under the NEOWISE project for asteroid detection.
WISE was tasked with producing a sensitive, high-resolution infrared survey to identify cool objects and dust-enshrouded sources across the entire sky. Principal objectives included detecting the coldest brown dwarfs, cataloging the most luminous infrared galaxys, and discovering previously unknown near-Earth objects and comets. The project supported investigations in stellar evolution, galaxy formation, and planetary defense, complementing missions such as Spitzer Space Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, and surveys like the Two Micron All-Sky Survey.
The spacecraft carried a 40-centimeter cryogenically cooled telescope feeding a focal plane array with detectors sensitive at 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 micrometers. Key components included the cryostat provided by Aerospace Corporation contractors, infrared detector arrays developed with contributions from University of California, Los Angeles teams, and onboard electronics from Ball Aerospace. Attitude control systems and star trackers enabled sky-scanning operations in a sun-synchronous polar orbit similar to platforms used by Landsat and NOAA satellites. Thermal design drew heritage from cryogenic missions such as COBE and IRAS, while data handling interfaced with Deep Space Network operations for downlink and command.
Launched on December 14, 2009 aboard a Delta II 7320-10C rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the mission entered a 525 km sun-synchronous orbit. The survey began in January 2010, with routine sky scans covering a strip of sky every orbit and building redundancy through multiple passes. The primary cryogen, solid hydrogen, exhausted in August 2010, ending the 12 and 22 μm channels; however, the shorter-wavelength 3.4 and 4.6 μm detectors continued operating on passive cooling until early 2011. The mission was placed in hibernation in 2011 before later reactivation for extended operations.
Science operations were managed by the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at California Institute of Technology, with image calibration, source extraction, and catalog generation pipelines adapted from heritage software used by 2MASS and SIRTF teams. Data products included single-exposure frames, coadds, and the All-Sky Source Catalog, distributed via archives at IPAC and accessed by researchers from institutions such as Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and University of Arizona. Cross-matching efforts integrated WISE data with surveys like Sloan Digital Sky Survey and GALEX to enable multiwavelength studies and follow-up spectroscopy with facilities including Keck Observatory, Very Large Telescope, and Gemini Observatory.
WISE enabled the discovery of numerous cold brown dwarfs, expanding the census of substellar objects and informing models of star formation and initial mass function studies. It identified populations of luminous ultraluminous infrared galaxys and obscured quasars, providing targets for high-redshift universe research with Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope follow-ups. In Solar System science, WISE detected thousands of minor planets and comets, significantly improving size and albedo estimates and supporting near-Earth object population models used in planetary defense assessments by NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office. WISE catalogs underpinned studies of Galactic structure, star-forming regions, and the characterization of debris disks around nearby stars.
After depletion of its cryogen, WISE was placed in hibernation and later reactivated in 2013 as NEOWISE to focus on near-Earth object characterization using the 3.4 and 4.6 μm channels. NEOWISE, led by teams at University of Arizona and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, conducted multiple survey phases, detecting and characterizing tens of thousands of asteroids and hundreds of NEOs. The project collaborated with ground-based follow-up networks including Minor Planet Center observers, Pan-STARRS, and Catalina Sky Survey to refine orbits and physical properties, contributing to impact risk assessments and mission planning for agencies such as European Space Agency and commercial space ventures.
WISE left a lasting legacy through publicly released data archives that continue to fuel research across many institutions and observatories. Its catalogs are widely used by teams at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Carnegie Institution for Science, Smithsonian Institution, and universities worldwide. Outreach efforts engaged citizen science platforms like Zooniverse and educational programs at museums including Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, increasing public awareness of infrared astronomy and planetary defense. Technological and operational lessons from WISE informed subsequent missions and proposals within NASA, influencing designs for survey telescopes and small-satellite infrared observatories.
Category:NASA space probes Category:Infrared telescopes