Wide Field Infrared Explorer

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The Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) was launched in 1999 and intended to be a four-month infrared survey of the entire sky, specifically focusing on starburst galaxies and luminous protogalaxies. Unfortunately, a malfunction caused its dust cover to eject while the satellite was pointed at the sun, and all the coolant necessary for the operation of the infrared detectors to boil off.

Spacecraft operations have been redirected to use the onboard star tracker for long-term monitoring of bright stars in support of two separate science programs: astroseismology and planet-finding. The astroseismology program is intended to measure oscillations in nearby stars to probe their structure. The planet-finding program searches for stellar occultations by large planetary bodies as they pass through WIRE's line-of-sight to its target star.

International Designator: 1999-011A

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