When was the first telescope specifically designed for infrared astronomy launched into space?

IRAS launched on 25 January 1983 in a collaboration involving NASA, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It was the first infrared space observatory to conduct an all-sky survey, revealing objects that are invisible or faint in ordinary light. IRAS discovered disks of dust around stars and helped identify many previously unknown infrared sources. The mission opened a new window on the universe and showed the value of observing in wavelengths beyond visible light.