NASA said goodbye to its successful GALEX – Galactic Evolution Explorer spacecraft which performed a survey of 100,000 galaxies in the sky by imaging light the UV spectrum and making spectroscopic measurements was finally retired on 28 June 2013, ten years after its launch in April 2003. The mission exceeded its design life by more than seven years.
NASA and the French Space Agency CNES also had to say goodbye to their joint JASON-1 altimetry and oceanographic spacecraft JASON 1 which has been operating for more than 12 years. The decision to end the mission was made after the failure of its final transmitter on 21 June, On 1 July the spacecraft was commanded into a safe hold mode, and after final attempts to recontact the satellite, mission managers at NASA and CNES commanded the spacecraft to switch off reaction wheels and magnetometer. Measuring sea levels and mapping under sea mountains, the JASON 1 mission lasted nine years beyond its three year design life.
