The European flight observatory is blind

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced on April 29 that its Herschel space telescope lost its ability to observe space due to the exhaustion of fuel.

Liquid helium - the fuel needed for devices and cameras to operate in extremely low temperatures - in the Herschel space telescope has been exhausted. Now Herschel has become a hot object, meaning that he cannot observe the sky, the BBC reports.

Currently Herschel space telescope is
flying about 1.5 million km from the earth. (Photo: ESA)

Herschel telescope, capable of receiving infrared light and short-wavelength types of light in the universe, flew out to Earth in 2009 to observe the process of star formation and evolution of galaxies.

With spherical mirrors of 3.5m in diameter and three extremely advanced devices, it is a telescope capable of receiving the most powerful near-infrared radiation.

The death of Herschel is the event that ESA has long anticipated. Astronomers always know that its age depends on the amount of liquid helium it carries.

Now Herschel's "blind satellite" is flying about 1.5 million kilometers from the earth. Its operators in Germany will test its performance several more times in the coming weeks before letting it fly around the sun.

"We will disconnect the system and Herschel will stop working permanently," said Micha Schmidt, the Herschel glass manager of ESA.

After decommissioning, Herschel will not be able to get close to the earth in a few hundred years.