Kepler Passes planet-finding torch to TESS

Kepler was a groundbreaking NASA mission that revolutionized our understanding of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. Launched in 2009, Kepler discovered more than 2,600 confirmed exoplanets, many of which are promising candidates for hosting life. However, after almost a decade of operation, Kepler ran out of fuel and was retired in 2018. But the search for exoplanets continues with TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. TESS is an MIT-led NASA mission that aims to survey 85% of the sky for transiting exoplanets using four wide-field cameras.