NASA and its partners at the German Space Agency at the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) have decided to conclude the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) mission. After eight years of science, SOFIA, a Boeing 747SP airplane modified to carry a reflecting telescope, will be grounded.

SOFIA’s end

NASA first began using SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747SP registration N747NA, between 2009 and 2010. On May 26, 2010, SOFIA delivered its first image of the solar system.

The telescope is a joint project between NASA and DLR and observes the infrared universe and monitors events such as the formations of new stars and solar systems.

Sadly, NASA and DLR have decided to end the project. On Thursday, NASA announced SOFIA will end operations no later than September 30, 2022, at the conclusion of its current mission.

SOFIA completed its five-year prime mission in 2019 and is currently completing a three-year mission extension.

The last thing we heard about SOFIA was that NASA and DLR decided to send the Boeing 747SP to Chile last month. It was its first trip to South America, and it was deployed there for a two-week project.

SOFIA returned to the United States on April 1. Since that date, the aircraft has had 14 flights departing and landing in Palmdale, according to FlightRadar24.com. On April 27, SOFIA held a flight that lasted nearly ten hours and flew all the way up to northern Saskatchewan in Canada before returning to California.

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SOFIA will stop flying this year. Photo: NASA/SOFIA/Waynne Williams.

Why is NASA scrapping the project?

The decision to conclude the SOFIA mission is terrible news for avgeeks worldwide. SOFIA was definitely an avgeek favorite and attracted views from all over the world. Nonetheless, the project was too expensive.

As part of its review of the current state of astronomical research, the National Academies’ Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 evaluated SOFIA, said NASA.

The report concluded SOFIA’s science productivity does not justify its operating costs. Additionally, SOFIA’s capabilities do not significantly overlap with the science priorities the Decadal Survey has identified for the next decade and beyond.

Therefore, the Decadal Survey (which provides peer-reviewed recommendations to NASA for the future of US astrophysics) recommended NASA end the SOFIA mission. NASA and DLR accepted the recommendation.

SOFIA will finish out its scheduled operations for the 2022 fiscal year, followed by an orderly shutdown.

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A review found out the SOFIA project was to expensive. Photo: NASA/Raphael Ko.

The end of an era

The SOFIA mission began development in 1996. It saw first light in 2010 and achieved full operational capability in 2014.

Between 2014 and 2022, SOFIA held observations of the Moon, planets, stars, star-forming regions, and nearby galaxies. Among its highlights was the discovery of water on the sunlit surface of the Moon in 2020.

The jetliner was built by Boeing in the 1970s. SOFIA is a 44 years-old aircraft.

The plane initially came into service with Pan Am in 1977 before going to United Airlines in 1986. NASA acquired the superjumbo in 1997 and heavily modified it to prepare it for its new role carrying a reflective telescope allowing scientists to study the solar system.

Did you see NASA’s SOFIA live on action? How was it? Will you miss seeing the Boeing 747SP in the air? Let us know in the comments below.