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Name
Space
Agency
Launch
Date
Terminated Location Ref(s)
3rd High Energy Astronomy
Observatory (HEAO 3)
NASA
20
September
1979
29 May 1981
Earth orbit (486.4
504.9 km)
[2][3][3]
Astrorivelatore Gamma ad
Immagini LEggero (AGILE)
ISA
23 April
2007
Earth orbit
(586.47
610.44 km)
[104]
Interface Region Imaging
Spectrograph (IRIS)
NASA
27 June
2013
Earth orbit
[105][106]
International Ultraviolet
Explorer (IUE)
ESA &
NASA &
SERC
26 January
1978
30 September
1996
Earth orbit
(32,050
52,254 km)
[107][108]
Korea Advanced Institute
of Science and Technology
Satellite 4 (Kaistsat 4)
KARI
27
September
2003
2007 ?
Earth orbit (675
695 km)
[109][110]
OAO-2 (Stargazer) NASA
7 December
1968
January 1973
Earth orbit (749
758 km)
[111][112]
OAO-3 Copernicus NASA
21 August
1972
February 1981
Earth orbit (713
724 km)
[111]
Orion 1 and Orion 2 Space
Observatories
USSR
19 April
1971 (Orion
1) ; (Orion
2)
December
18, 1973
1971; 1973
Earth orbit (Orion 1:
200222 km; Orion
2: 188247 km)
[113][114]
Swift Gamma Ray Burst
Explorer (Swift)
NASA
20
November
2004
Earth-trailing
heliocentric orbit
[123][124][125]
MOST CSA 30 June 2003
Earth orbit (819
832 km)
[126][127]
Swift Gamma Ray
Burst Explorer
NASA
20
November
2004
Sun-Earth L
2
Lagrange
point
[128]
Infrared and Submillimetre
Infrared light is of lower energy than visible light, hence is emitted by cooler objects. As such, the following can
be viewed in the infrared: cool stars (including brown dwarves), nebulae, and redshifted galaxies.
[129]
23/7/2014 List of space observatories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_observatories 9/21
Artist's impression of the
Herschel Space
Observatory
Artist's impression of
IRAS
Artist's impression of the
James Webb Space
Telescope
Name
Space
Agency
Launch
Date
Terminated Location Ref(s)
AKARI JAXA
21
February
2006
24 November
2011
[130]
Earth orbit (586.47
610.44 km)
[131][132]
Herschel Space
Observatory
ESA &
NASA
14 May
2009
[133]
29 April
2013
[134]
Sun-Earth L
2
Lagrange point
[135][136][137]
IRAS NASA
25 January
1983
21 November
1983
Earth orbit (889
903 km)
[138][139]
Infrared Space
Observatory (ISO)
ESA
17
November
1995
16 May 1998
Earth orbit (1000
70500 km)
[140][140][141]
Infrared Telescope in
Space
ISAS &
NASDA
18 March
1995
25 April 1995 Earth orbit (486 km)
[142][143]
Midcourse Space
Experiment (MSX)
USN
24 April
1996
26 February
1997
Earth orbit (900 km)
[144]
Spitzer Space Telescope NASA
25 August
2003