IRAS

retired

Science ExplorationLEOCOSPAR 1983-004ALaunched 1/26/1983

Admin Edit

Mission & Launch

Launch Mission: IRAS Mission
Launch Vehicle: Delta 3910
Launch Date: 1/26/1983
Last Contact: 11/21/1985

Orbit & Mass

Orbit Class: LEO
Altitude: 902 km
Inclination: 99.11 deg
Dry Mass: 954 kg
Total Mass: 1,077 kg

Payload Classification

Organizations

Operator: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Manufacturer: Airbus Netherlands

Registry

COSPAR ID: 1983-004A
UN Registration: ST/SG/SER.E/081

Mentions

All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was launched in early 1983 as a joint mission of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

GeneralValue 4.2Oct 21, 2024Britain in the early history of the James Webb Space Telescope

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of IRAS 16562-3959 using its Wide Field Camera 3.

Capability

IRAS launched in 1983 and imaged the Rho Ophiuchi region, revealing newly forming stars hidden inside dust.

GeneralValue 3.5Jan 2, 2024Key Infrared Telescopes that Set the Stage for NASA’s James Webb

Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was the first infrared telescope ever launched into Earth orbit.

GeneralCapabilityValue 2.8Jan 2, 2024Key Infrared Telescopes that Set the Stage for NASA’s James Webb

Observations by LeoLabs and the Defense Department after the 2020-01-29 conjunction confirmed both IRAS and GGSE 4 were intact.

CapabilityGeneralValue 2.8Jan 31, 2020Commerce Department moves ahead on space traffic management work despite limited budget

Two defunct satellites, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and GGSE 4, had a predicted conjunction at 6:39 p.m. Eastern on 2020-01-29.

GeneralPlanValue 2.0Jan 31, 2020Commerce Department moves ahead on space traffic management work despite limited budget

LeoLabs identified a potential conjunction between the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and the Gravity Gradient Stabilization Experiment (GGSE) 4 satellite on 2025-01-27.

GeneralPlanValue 3.2Jan 29, 2020Potential satellite collision shows need for active debris removal

LeoLabs estimated on 2025-01-27 that there was approximately a 1-in-100 chance that IRAS and GGSE-4 would collide at 6:39 p.m. Eastern on 2025-01-29 at an altitude of about 900 km nearly directly above Pittsburgh.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jan 29, 2020Potential satellite collision shows need for active debris removal