The Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a space-borne, cryogenically-cooled infrared observatory capable of studying objects ranging from our Solar System to the distant reaches of the Universe. SIRTF is the final element in NASA's Great Observatories Program, and an important scientific and technical cornerstone of the new Astronomical Search for Origins Program.
| Launch Date: | August 2003 |
| Launch Vehicle/Site: | Delta 7920H ELV / Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Estimated Lifetime: | 2.5 years (minimum); 5+ years (goal) |
| Orbit: | Earth-trailing, Heliocentric |
| Wavelength Coverage: | 3 - 180 microns |
| Telescope: | 85 cm diameter (33.5 Inches), f/12 lightweight Beryllium, cooled to less 5.5 K |
| Diffraction Limit: | 6.5 microns |
| Science Capabilities: | Imaging / Photometry, 3-180 microns Spectroscopy, 5-40 microns Spectrophotometry, 50-100 microns |
| Planetary Tracking: | 1 arcsec / sec |
| Cryogen / Volume: | Liquid Helium / 360 liters (95 Gallons) |
| Launch Mass: | 950 kg (2094 lb) [Observatory: 851.5 kg, Cover: 6.0 kg, Helium: 50.4 kg, Nitrogen Propellant: 15.6 kg] |