SOFIA - NASA's Stratospheric 

Observatory for Infrared Astronomy

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is the world's largest airborne astronomical observatory, complementing NASA’s space 

telescopes as well as major Earth-based telescopes.

SOFIA features a German-built far-infrared telescope 

with an effective diameter of 100-inches (2.5 meters). 

The telescope weighs 19 tons (38,000 pounds) and 

is mounted in the rear fuselage of a highly modified 

Boeing 747SP aircraft.

Unparalleled astronomical science capabilities

Flying at altitudes of between 39,000 to 45,000 feet 

(12 – 14 kilometers) and above 99 percent of the 

water vapor in the atmosphere, SOFIA facilitates 

observations that are unobtainable from telescopes 

on the ground. Because SOFIA can fly virtually anywhere in the world, change instruments 

between flights, and implement new capabilities, it 

provides greater adaptability than any space-based 

telescope.

Preliminary scientific operations with the observatory began in 2010, providing astronomers with early 

access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter 

wavelength bands with optimized performance in the 

mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

"First light," the first time the telescope collected 

astronomical data, was achieved on May 25, 2010. 

Infrared light from the red supergiant star Antares, 

emitted more than 550 years ago, was observed by 

SOFIA using a camera called the Faint Object InfraRed Camera for the SOFIA Telescope, or FORCAST, 

developed by Cornell University. 

SOFIA made its first official science flight on Nov. 

30, 2010. The FORCAST instrument collected data 

on a number of celestial targets including Comet 

Hartley, the star-forming nebulae Messier 42 in the 

Orion constellation and massive clouds of interstellar 

gas and dust in which hundreds of stars are forming 

such as W3 IRS5 and Sharpless 140.

SOFIA also has observed the occultation of a star by 

the dwarf planet Pluto. During this short-lived event, 

the planet crossed in front of the star. The resulting dip 

in the brightness of the star allowed astronomers to 

determine the structure of Pluto's atmosphere. SOFIA 

had to fly thousands of miles to catch this very rare 

event at an otherwise empty spot over the eastern Pacific. Without the deployment capabilities of SOFIA, 

these observations could not have occurred.

These and other forthcoming data will help astronomers answer many fundamental questions about the 

Over a blanket of snow covering California's southern Sierra Nevada mountains, NASA's Stratospheric 

Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) flies with the sliding door over its telescope cavity fully open. 

(NASA / Jim Ross)
FS-2012-03-096 DFRC

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dryden Flight Research Center

P.O. Box 273

Edwards, California 93523

NASA Facts

creation and evolution of the universe. By using SOFIA, scientists 

hope to better understand how stars and planets are formed, how 

organic materials necessary for life form and evolve in space, and 

how the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy influences its surroundings.

Technology Development

SOFIA is also a cutting-edge laboratory for the development and 

testing of astronomical instrumentation and detector technology 

by scientists at NASA centers, universities and colleges across the 

country. Its seven first-generation instruments, including cameras, 

spectrographs and a high-speed photometer, together with its 

future-generation instruments, will enable a wide variety of astronomical science observations. Once validated, the technologies 

developed will also be useful in future space missions. Applications 

in ground-based astronomy are also expected. 

SOFIA's ability to return to Earth after each flight enables frequent 

opportunities for upgrading and installing new science instruments, 

permitting ongoing development of new astronomical technology 

throughout its lifetime.

Education and Public Outreach

The SOFIA education and outreach program is designed to help enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) 

education in U.S. and German communities.

SOFIA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program gives middleand high-school teachers and science museum educators hands-on 

experience in scientific and astronomical research as they work 

with scientists during missions on the flying observatory. This program enabled eight teachers to fly on SOFIA in 2011, with another 

26 U.S. educators selected to fly in 2012 and 2013. Educators take 

what they learn during their SOFIA training and flights back to 

their classroom and their communities to improve curricula and 

generate interest in STEM-related courses and careers.

Training is also provided for undergraduate and graduate-level 

scientists, engineers and technologists by enabling their participation in the design and development of instruments, as well as the 

execution and analysis of astronomical observations made using the 

SOFIA telescope.

Development Status

Sustained science operations are scheduled to begin in late 2014. 

Leading up to that milestone, SOFIA will undergo alternating 

periods of science flights and long-term development of the observatory, including installation of upgraded software and hardware 

control systems, commissioning of science instruments, avionics 

modernization and routine maintenance of the aircraft. The completion of these tasks will result in sustained use of the observatory for 

many years to come, enabling infrared astronomy of the highest 

caliber.

SOFIA continues the legacy of prominent planetary scientist Gerard Kuiper, who championed airborne astronomy in 1968 using a 

12-inch telescope aimed through a window of a converted Learjet. 

His work led to the development of NASA's Kuiper Airborne 

Observatory, a modified C-141 aircraft incorporating a 36-inch 

reflecting telescope that flew from 1974 to 1995. During its 21-year 

lifetime, the Kuiper Observatory focused on solar system, galactic 

and extra-galactic astronomy, and was used in the discovery of the 

rings of Uranus, a ring of star formation around the nucleus of the 

Milky Way, luminous infrared galaxies, complex organic molecules 

in space, and water in comets. SOFIA will continue the legacy 

begun by Gerard Kuiper well into the 21st Century.

The SOFIA is a joint program of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt). 

The program is managed at NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations 

Facility in Palmdale, Calif., where the aircraft is based. NASA's 

Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SOFIA 

science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities 

Space Research Association in Columbia, Md., and the Deutsches 

SOFIA Institut in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Orion star-formation complex was taken by the SOFIA 

telescope using the FORCAST mid-infrared camera.

(NASA/SOFIA/USRA/FORCAST Team)