NASA's NEOWISE spacecraft, originally launched in 2009 for a seven-month mission, has officially concluded its operations after nearly 15 years.

The scientific operations of NEOWISE ended on July 31, 2024, with all remaining data successfully transmitted to Earth before its decommissioning.

The spacecraft has been shut down for the final time and is now preparing for reentry into Earth's atmosphere later this year.

NEOWISE is expected to safely burn up in Earth's atmosphere as it descends from orbit in late 2024.

Initially launched as the WISE mission in December 2009, NEOWISE conducted a comprehensive infrared survey of the sky.

The final transmission from NEOWISE included an infrared image of the Fornax constellation, captured on August 1, 2023.

Amy Mainzer, the principal investigator for NEOWISE, expressed gratitude for the spacecraft's extended mission, which delivered more data than initially anticipated.

Throughout its mission, NEOWISE made over 1.45 million measurements, detecting more than 44,000 solar system objects, including 3,000 near-Earth objects.

One of NEOWISE's most notable discoveries was Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3), which became visible to skywatchers in the summer of 2020.

The mission was terminated due to increased solar activity causing atmospheric drag on the spacecraft, which lacked propulsion to maintain its orbit.

The legacy of NEOWISE will continue with the upcoming NEO Surveyor mission, set to launch in 2027, which aims to enhance capabilities in identifying near-Earth objects.

The decommissioning of NEOWISE creates a temporary gap in planetary defense efforts, as no other NASA telescope is solely dedicated to detecting near-Earth objects.