List of Space Telescopes - Infrared and Submillimetre

Infrared and Submillimetre

Further information: Infrared astronomy and Submillimetre astronomy

Infrared light is of lower energy than visible light, hence is emitted by cooler objects. As such, the following can be viewed in the infrared: cool stars (including brown dwarves), nebulae, and redshifted galaxies.

• Artist's impression of the Herschel Space Observatory

• Artist's impression of IRAS

• Artist's impression of the James Webb Space Telescope

• The Spitzer Space Telescope

Name	Space Agency	Launch Date	Terminated	Location	Ref(s)
AKARI	JAXA	21 February, 2006	24 November, 2011	Earth orbit (586.47–610.44 km)
Herschel Space Observatory	ESA & NASA	14 May 2009	—	Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point
IRAS	NASA	25 January 1983	21 November 1983	Earth orbit (889–903 km)
Infrared Space Observatory (ISO)	ESA	17 November 1995	16 May 1998	Earth orbit (1000–70500 km)
Infrared Telescope in Space	ISAS & NASDA	18 March 1995	25 April 1995	Earth orbit (486 km)
Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX)	USN	24 April 1996	26 February 1997	Earth orbit (900 km)
Spitzer Space Telescope	NASA	25 August 2003	—	Solar orbit (0.98–1.02 AU)
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS)	NASA	6 December 1998	Last used in 2005	Earth orbit (638–651 km)
Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE)	NASA	5 March 1999	no observations	Re-entered May 10, 2011
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)	NASA	14 December 2009	Feb 2011	Earth orbit (500 km)