Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (Artist's concept, cropped)

Artist's concept of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission will survey the entire sky in a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum called the mid-infrared with far greater sensitivity than any previous mission or program ever has. The survey will consist of over a million images, from which hundreds of millions of astronomical objects will be catalogued, providing a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Dec. 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPL manages the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.