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NEOWISE, the NASA Mission That Cataloged Objects Around Earth for Over a Decade, Has Ended

The NEOWISE mission, a NASA project focused on cataloging near-Earth objects (NEOs) like asteroids and comets, has officially concluded after more than a decade of operation. Initially launched in 2009 as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), it was repurposed in 2013 to specifically hunt for NEOs, becoming NEOWISE. Over its extended mission, NEOWISE discovered thousands of new objects, including the famous comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), visible to the naked eye in 2020. The mission not only enhanced our understanding of the solar system's composition but also contributed significantly to planetary defense by identifying potential threats. Its data will continue to be used for scientific research, although the spacecraft itself has been placed into hibernation, marking the end of an era in space exploration.

Read the Full MSN Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/space-exploration/neowise-the-nasa-mission-that-cataloged-objects-around-earth-for-over-a-decade-has-ended/ar-AA1vlKbK ]