What Is Spitzer Doing Now?

Spitzer is currently scheduled to be taking calibration data or performing routine engineering functions.

Spitzer entered an inactive state called standby mode at 3:11 p.m. Pacific Time (6:11 p.m. Eastern Time or 22:11 Universal Time), May 15, as result of running out of its liquid helium coolant. Scientists and engineers will spend the next few weeks recalibrating the instrument at the warmer temperature, and preparing it to begin science operations.

More information about the warm mission can be found here.

All the information on this site is based on Spitzer's official schedule. This information is generally correct, but may not reflect Spitzer's actual operating status for many reasons. Occasionally unexpected technical issues cause the observatory to stop taking scheduled science observations. Also, in the case of a significant scientific discovery or an unexpected target of opportunity, the observing schedule may be changed without these computer models being updated. Errors on the computer that create the image above can cause the image to not appear, to not update, or to give the appearance that Spitzer has "fallen over." These images do not reflect actual spacecraft conditions.

The Spitzer Space Telescope is a NASA mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This website is maintained by the Spitzer Science Center, located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology and part of NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Privacy Policy