Infrared Astronomical Satellite
IRAS
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite, or IRAS, was the first mission to put a telescope in space to survey the sky in infrared.
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Mission Statistics
Launch Date
Jan 25, 1983
Type
OrbiterTarget
Stars and GalaxiesStatus
PastAbout the mission
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite, or IRAS, was the first mission to put a telescope in space to survey the sky in infrared. It made a number of unexpected discoveries, including: six new comets, the core of our galaxy, and evidence of solid material around the stars Vega and Fomalhaut, which strongly suggested the existence of planetary systems around other stars.
The telescope was a joint project of NASA, the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes and the United Kingdom's Science and Engineering Research Council.
Instruments
- Survey array
- Low Resolution Spectrometer (LRS)
- Chopped Photometric Channel (CPC)
Mission Highlights
