Space X launches NASA planet hunter

Published on 19/04/2018 - 07:59•Updated 08:15

New telescope will look further than before for new worlds capable of sustaining life, and compile catalogue for global astronomers to use.

A Falcon 9 rocket has blasted off from Florida on SpaceX’s first high-priority science mission for NASA.

The Transit Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESS was successfully put in orbit after a two-day delay due to a glitch found in the launch vehicle's guidance-control system.

TESS's mission is to find thousands of new worlds beyond our Solar System. It will survey a swathe of stars, hoping to detect worlds that might be capable of harboring life.

Tess will compile a catalogue that other telescopes can then focus in on for more detailed analysis.

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