For more information about Spitzer’s science legacy, and past science press releases go here. The Spitzer Space Telescope is the final mission in NASA's Great Observatories Program - a family of four space-based observatories, each observing the universe in a different kind of light. A micron is about one millionth of a meter.) Check Current Status. Operated only while the spacecraft was in cold mission mode. The video below gives an overview of the remarkable Spitzer mission. This period forward is dubbed the Spitzer Beyond Mission. launch0825_01, Image Legacy Site. Image The Launch of Spitzer launch0825_01. This concludes Spitzer’s prime mission — also known as the “cold mission.” (The liquid helium supply lasted about 5 months longer than estimates made by the mission at launch, because of careful budgeting of the supply.). Aug. 25, 2003 — The Spitzer Space Telescope (then called the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, or SIRTF) launches aboard a Delta 7920H rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Data Sonification: Sounds from Around the Milky Way, NASA Missions Spy First Possible Planet Hugging a Stellar Cinder, Where Are Stars Made? launch0825_03, Image The name of the Spitzer Space Telescope was decided by the general public. Wavelengths: Infrared, Calla Cofield July 27, 2009 — Spitzer’s first mission extension begins. The James Webb Space Telescope is now slated for launch in 2021. The first Spitzer images and spectra are released to the public. The Launch of Spitzer Distant and nearby galaxies; the formation of stars and planetary systems; comets and asteroids; exoplanet detection and atmospheric studies; brown dwarfs; interstellar molecules and dust; black hole disks and jets; the cosmic history of star formation. 626-808-2469, › See Spitzer in Real Time Through NASA’s Eyes, Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono, because of careful budgeting of the supply. (Infrared wavelengths are often referred to by their physical length; in this case, 3.6 and 4.5 micrometers, or microns. Spitzer is designed to detect infrared radiation, which is primarily heat radiation. End of Mission: Jan. 30, 2020 May 15, 2009 — Spitzer depletes its onboard supply of liquid helium, used to cool the telescope mirror to as low as 5.5 degrees above absolute zero, or 5.5 Kelvin (minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 267 degrees Celsius). Launched in 2003, Spitzer was one of NASA's four Great Observatories, along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The Spitzer Space Telescope was launched on a Delta II rocket on August 25, 2003 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Although the Spitzer Space Telescope was aimed at surviving at least 2.5 years, it has lasted more than 5 years. ... JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA ’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. This website is maintained by the Spitzer Science Center, located at IPAC on the campus of the California Institute of Technology. The Spitzer Space Telescope ran out of liquid helium which caused the telescope to no longer make observations under the extreme temperatures of space. The Spitzer Space Telescope was launched on a Delta II rocket on August 25, 2003 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Aug. 25, 2003 — The Spitzer Space Telescope (then called the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, or SIRTF) launches aboard a Delta 7920H rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. launch0825_05, Image The Spitzer Space Telescope contains a reflecting telescope. The Spitzer Space Telescope weighs 2,094 lbs. Mailing List • The spacecraft is launched into a solar, Earth-trailing orbit, far enough away from the planet so Earth's radiation does not interfere with the cooling of the telescope. Operated only while the spacecraft was in cold mission mode. Before launch, the Spitzer Space Telescope was named the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. Mission classification: Class B, Category 2 (high priority), community observatory.