The Herschel Space Observatory (HSO), specializing in observations in the far-infrared and submillimetric spectral region, is the largest space telescope ever launched. The HSO provided data from the time of its launch on May 14, 2009, until June 17, 2013. During its active lifespan, it made over 35,000 observations, logged more than 25,000 hours of studying the Universe, unveiled previously invisible celestial objects, and helped us obtain a better understanding of the formation and evolution of stars, planets and galaxies. Canada has contributed to the development and operation of the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) and the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) onboard the HSO.
