Status
Success
Spitzer Space Telescope
Launch Time
Mon Aug 25, 2003 05:35 UTC
Mon Aug 25, 2003 05:35 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
Spitzer Space Telescope
The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is an infrared space telescope. The planned mission period was to be 2.5 years with a pre-launch expectation that the mission could extend to five or slightly more years until the onboard liquid helium supply was exhausted. This occurred on 15 May 2009. Without liquid helium to cool the telescope to the very low temperatures needed to operate, most of the instruments are no longer usable. However, the two shortest-wavelength modules of the IRAC camera are still operable with the same sensitivity as before the cryogen was exhausted, and have continued to be used to the present in the Spitzer Warm Mission.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 950.0 kg
Heliocentric Orbit
Location
SLC-17B, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA
Stats
2003
38th orbital launch attempt
Delta II
109th mission
6th mission of 2003
107th successful mission
54th consecutive successful mission