NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was launched in 2003 on a mission to spend five years exploring the cosmos in infrared light. That means it excels at capturing images and chemical signatures of warm objects, like the glow of gas in nebulae and galaxies, or the composition of planets in still-forming alien solar systems. It even found a new ring of Saturn.
In recent years, it’s been operating with just one instrument, as the other two succumbed to the elements and ceased functioning. Despite its diminished capacity, the telescope is still delivering ground-breaking science. Now, NASA has finally decided to shut down the aging telescope. It will be
switched off January 30, 2020.
That the telescope has lasted this long is a testament to the engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who have adapted with the telescope’s age to keep it functioning as best they could.