SOFIA will be a 2.5 meter telescope installed in a Boeing 747 aircraft. It will replace NASA’s smaller Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), which for the past 18 years has provided the only routine access to most of the vital infrared spectrum (1 - 1000 µm). The aircraft platform opens a valuable window to the universe by enabling measurements of infrared radiation from celestial sources which the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs at lower altitudes. SOFIA will have 10 times the sensitivity and 3 times the angular resolution of the KAO throughout most of the infrared spectrum.

SOFIA will be operated during its 20 year lifetime as an international facility for astronomy. It would fly 160 astronomy missions per year for about 50 science teams, selected by annual peer review. Nearly a third of these teams will furnish the observatory with specialized instrumentation, including array cameras, polarimeters, and several types of spectrometers. The frequent flight opportunities with state-of-the-art instruments guarantee extensive community participation and hands-on training of young scientists.