Kepler
Kepler resumes operations despite malfunctioning thruster
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft is back in operation despite a problem with one of its thrusters and low fuel levels that may soon bring the mission to an end.
Kepler spacecraft back in safe mode as fuel runs low
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft, which went into a safe mode in July amid concerns the exoplanet observatory was running out of propellant, has again gone into safe mode as astronomers fear its mission may be nearing an end.
TESS begins science observations
A NASA spacecraft launched in April to search for exoplanets around nearby stars has started science observations, the agency said July 27.
Kepler to co-develop third satellite with UK’s Satellite Applications Catapult
Kepler Communications, a Canadian startup designing a network of 140 telecom cubesats, has teamed up with the Satellite Applications Catapult in the U.K. to build a third and final prototype before pressing on with the full constellation.
Kepler in safe mode amid concerns spacecraft is running out of fuel
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has paused science observations upon receiving indications that the spacecraft may be finally running out of fuel after more than nine years of operations.
Kepler’s first satellite hitched ride on last week’s Long March 11 launch
Kepler Communications, a Canadian startup designing a low-Earth-orbit constellation for satellite connectivity, says its first satellite is performing as expected following a Jan. 19 launch on China’s Long March 11 rocket.
NASA astronomy missions pass senior review
NASA has accepted the recommendation of a review panel that it continue operations of a half-dozen astrophysics missions, including infrared and x-ray observatories and a retooled extrasolar planet mission.
No long-term effects from Kepler spacecraft anomaly
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has suffered no long-term effects from an anomaly last month that threatened the mission, and the spacecraft should be able to operate for at least two more years, the mission’s manager said May 10.
Kepler resumes science operations
Two weeks after going into an emergency mode that jeopardized the mission, NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has recovered and resumed normal science operations, the agency announced April 22.
Kepler mission declares spacecraft emergency
Spacecraft controllers are working to restore control of NASA’s Kepler astronomy spacecraft after it entered an “emergency mode,” disrupting science observations, the mission’s manager said April 8.
Kepler’s Shaw Prize Winner Once in NASA’s Dog House
NASA's William Borucki just won the $1 million Shaw Prize in Astronomy for his work discovering extrasolar planets.
Not bad considering that Borucki and his planet-hunting Kepler telescope were in NASA's dog house two years before launch.
NASA’s Kepler Craft Begins New Search for Alien Worlds
NASA’s hobbled Kepler spacecraft is once again seeking out strange new worlds under a new 80-day mission to hunt for alien planets.
Kepler Finds First Earth-sized Planet in Habitable Zone
Scientists have discovered an Earth-sized alien planet in the habitable zone of its host star.
Kepler Scientist Pushes Extended Mission for Crippled Space Telescope ahead of NASA Senior Review
The proposed mission would use the hobbled space telescope to continue scanning for Earth-like planets orbiting the habitable zone of faraway stars.
International Exoplanet Telescope Could Follow Kepler, Astronomer Tells Lawmakers
An astronomy professor quizzed by the House Science Committee about how NASA should probe the universe for signs of life said the agency could collaborate on an international telescope to perform detailed observations of faraway, Earth-like planets discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope.
Hobbled Kepler May Resume Alien World Search
Kepler team members are drawing up new plans for the space telescope, whose original exoplanet hunt was derailed in May when the second of its four orientation-maintaining reaction wheels failed.
