NASA's exoplanet hunting telescope TESS enters safe mode after mysterious glitch

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched by NASA in 2018 has entered safe mode after suffering a technical glitch, the agency informed. "The spacecraft is in a stable configuration that suspends science observations. Preliminary investigation revealed that the TESS flight computer experienced a reset", NASA said in an update. 

"The TESS operations team reported that science data not yet sent to the ground appears to be safely stored on the satellite. Recovery procedures and investigations are underway to resume normal operations, which could take several days", it added. The glitch is said to have occurred on October 10 following which it automatically went into safe mode. 

Launched on April 18, 2018, TESS has discovered over 250 exoplanets so far and thousands of other candidate exoplanets located by it are waiting for confirmation. The exoplanet hunter was designed to last just two years but is functioning well beyond its planned mission timeline. TESS discovers planets outside our solar system through the transit method, which is noting dips in starlight to pinpoint the location of alien worlds orbiting those stars. 

Most recent discovery by TESS

Using the data from TESS, astronomers have confirmed the discovery of a “super-Earth” in the habitable zone of its star. Dubbed LP 890-9 c, the exoplanet is 40% larger than Earth and came to light during follow-up observations of its sister planet, LP 890-9 b. According to NASA, both exoplanets orbit a red-dwarf star, LP 890-9, about 98 light-years away and the inner one is about 30% larger than Earth with temperatures reaching 123°C; making it unhabitable. 

The outer one, however, is said to be in the habitable zone because it is relatively farther from the red dwarf star, which is relatively a cooler class of stars. Astronomers say that it is “the second-most favorable habitable-zone terrestrial planet” after the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system– which is as big as roughly seven Earth-sized planets about 40 light-years away, including three in the habitable zone of their red-dwarf star. Experts are now preparing to double down on the planet using the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope.