content 19-May-2013 22:07:23

Mission Status

ISO's last light and switch off

ISO was switched off on May 16 at 14:00h (CET), thereby bringing to a close the highly-successful in-orbit operations of the ISO mission. Prior to that, ISO's orbit was changed to force the satellite to burn up in the atmosphere, thus contributing to preserving the environment in space.

In fact, ISO continued to give scientific surprises to the very end. ISO's 'last light' observation -taken with the SWS instrument just before midnight on May 10- was of emission lines from hydrogen in a hot supergiant star (eta Canis Majoris). The preliminary results show that this star, supposed to be ordinary, is probably surrounded by a disk of matter.


Last Update: 28 August 2009

For further information please contact: SciTech.editorial@esa.int

Related Links

  • Infrared Space Observatory Press Release (http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/outreach/esa_pr/pressrel.htm)
  • ESA switches its infrared space telescope off (http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/outreach/esa_pr/in9817.htm)