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Why did NASA shut down IRAS, the infrared telescope?

From an Insider: Planet X had been imaged by NASA’s IRAS infrared sensing satellite in 1983 and the mechanical failure story was used as a cover story. Once the IRAS data started pouring in, that’s when they found Planet X. It was approaching from south of the ecliptic.

This was not good news because the majority of the world’s observatories are north of the Equator, and the decision was made to devote the remaining lifespan of the IRAS spacecraft to the observation of this one object.

After releasing the mechanical failure cover story, controllers used the IRAS’s remaining fuel to maintain a constant track on the object until control over the spacecraft was entirely lost.