WISE

Explorer 92, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Near-Earth Object WISE

Mission Profile

WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Explorer 92) is a NASA infrared space telescope launched on 14 December 2009 aboard a Delta II to survey the entire sky in four infrared bands between 3.4 and 22 micrometers. During its primary mission WISE imaged over 560 million objects including stars, galaxies, nebulae, and solar system bodies, discovering over 150,000 previously unknown asteroids and 20 near-Earth asteroids. After its primary coolant was exhausted in 2010, the mission was re-designated NEOWISE and operated with two remaining bands to continue surveying near-Earth objects for planetary defense purposes. NEOWISE was deactivated in August 2024, replaced by the dedicated NEO Surveyor telescope.