Nasa’s Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) space mission has concluded its observations of the cosmic microwave background.

The spacecraft had been designed to provide a more detailed look at subtle temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background, first detected in 1992 by Nasa’s cosmic background explorer (COBE).

WMAP acquired its final science data on 20 August 2010 and on 8 September 2010, the satellite fired its thrusters, left its working orbit and entered into a permanent parking orbit around the sun.

The mission established that the cosmos is 13.75 billion years old, with a degree of error of 1%.

The project also showed that normal atoms make up only 4.6% percent of today’s cosmos.

WMAP was also the first spacecraft to use the gravitational balance point known as Earth-sun L2 as its observing station about 930,000 miles away.

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The spacecraft had been launched into space on 30 June 2001.