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NASA launching planet-hunting telescope searching for habitable planets

Posted at 2:36 PM, Apr 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-16 16:30:28-04

NASA will launch a planet-hunting spacecraft atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket this week. The launch was originally scheduled for Monday at 6:32 p.m., but was postponed to conduct additional GNC analysis. Teams are now working towards a targeted launch of Wednesday, April 18.

 

 

You can watch the launch LIVE here.

According to space.com, shortly after liftoff SpaceX will try to land the first stage of the two-stage Falcon 9 on a robotic ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Once in space, TESS will be looking for exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) orbiting the brightest stars in Earth's sky.

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It will reportedly monitor at least 200,000 stars for signs of exoplanets ranging from Earth-sized rocky worlds to huge gas giant planets.

MIT anticipates Tess will discover thousands of exoplanets of all sizes around a variety of star types.