After successfully mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation for 4.5 years, the Planck Satellite was turned off at approximately noon, UTC, on Wednesday, October 23, 2013. For details, see Last Command Sent to ESA’s Planck Space Telescope .

Chief Scientist for the Planck Mission, Dr. Jan Tauber, gives the final command.

Chief Scientist for the Planck Mission, Dr. Jan Tauber, gives the final command.

Planck Satellite in front of the final CMB map.

Planck Satellite in front of the final CMB map.

We are sad to see the end of this project, but we will be working on the data for at least another year before they are released to the public domain.

See additional links and information:

Refined cosmic recipe

Planck sees distribution of dark matter across space and back in time

Planck’s legacy – the most precise view of our universe

Gravitational lensing of the CMB seen by Planck