NASA has completed the last flight of the unique stratospheric aircraft Boeing 747SP SOFIA, which observed the universe for eight years

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has decided to land a unique Boeing 747SP SOFIA, which had been observing the universe from the stratosphere.

Here's What We Know

NASA modified the Boeing 747SP aircraft with flight number N474NA and turned it into a huge Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) flying telescope. It was able to make 143 flights in the last year alone. The last flight ended on September 28, 2022.

The project has allowed scientists to observe the Universe in the infrared from a height of about 12,500 meters, bypassing the water vapor that obstructed ground-based telescopes. The Boeing 747SP made its first flight as a telescope in 2010, 14 years after the SOFIA program was launched.

The Boeing 747SP took off with a 2.7-meter telescope. However, the system did not become fully operational until 2014. Initially, the observatory's lifetime was five years, but in 2019 it was decided to leave it in operation for another three years.

The SOFIA project observed the planets, stars and the Moon. In 2020, the flying observatory allowed scientists to detect water on the surface of Earth's natural satellite. In 2022, the telescope traveled to Chile to observe celestial bodies visible exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.

In mid-summer, the plane was damaged by a storm in New Zealand. However, the decommissioning of the Boeing 747SP was not related to this. The reason for closing the SOFIA project was low productivity, which no longer justifies the cost.

Source: Simple Flying

Image: Wired