TESS Status Updates – NASA Science
NASA TESS returns to scientific observations
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) entered safe mode on January 15 and resumed normal science operations on January 18.
The operations team determined that the problem occurred when TESS oriented itself to point toward a target, but its solar panels did not rotate to remain pointed toward the Sun relative to the spacecraft’s new direction. The off-sun angle of the solar panels caused TESS’s batteries to slowly discharge. As designed and intended for situations of this type, the satellite entered safe mode after detecting the low power condition.
At the time of safe mode, TESS was conducting a week-long observation of comet 3I/ATLAS and resumed these observations on January 18. TESS data is publicly available through the Mikulski Archives for Space Telescopes archives.
NASA TESS returns to science operations
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) resumed science operations on May 3 and is once again conducting observations. The satellite went into safe mode on April 23 after another downtime earlier this month.
The operations team determined that the latter fail-safe mode was triggered by a failure to properly discharge momentum from the spacecraft’s reaction wheels, a routine activity necessary to keep the satellite properly oriented during observations. The propulsion system, which enables this transfer of momentum, had not been successfully repressurized following an earlier safe mode event on April 8. The team corrected this problem, allowing the mission to return to normal science operations. The cause of the April 8 Safe Mode event is still under investigation.
The TESS mission is a NASA astrophysics explorer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS scanned almost the entire sky in search of planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets. The TESS mission also discovered other cosmic phenomena, including star-shredding black holes and stellar wobbles. Learn more about the TESS findings at nasa.gov/tess.
April 24, 2024
NASA’s planet-hunting satellite temporarily on hiatus
During a routine activity on April 23, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) entered safe mode, temporarily suspending science operations. The satellite scans the sky for planets beyond our solar system.
The team is working to restore the satellite for science operations while investigating the underlying cause. NASA also continues to investigate the cause of a separate safe mode event that took place earlier this month, including whether the two events are related. The spacecraft itself remains stable.
The TESS mission is a NASA astrophysics explorer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS recently celebrated its sixth anniversary in orbit. Visit nasa.gov/tess for updates.
April 17, 2024
NASA TESS returns to science operations
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) resumed work after suspending scientific observations on April 8, when the spacecraft entered safe mode. All instruments are powered on and, following the successful downloading of previously collected science data stored in the mission’s recorder, they are now making new science observations.
Analysis of what triggered the satellite to enter safe mode is underway.
The TESS mission is a NASA astrophysics explorer operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS scanned almost the entire sky in search of planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets. The TESS mission also discovered other cosmic phenomena, including star-shredding black holes and stellar wobbles. Learn more about the TESS findings at nasa.gov/tess.
April 11, 2024
NASA TESS temporarily suspends scientific observations
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) entered safe mode on April 8, temporarily halting scientific observations. The team is investigating the root cause of safe mode, which occurred during planned engineering activities. The satellite itself remains healthy.
The team will continue their research into the question and is in the process of returning TESS for scientific observations in the coming days.
The TESS mission is a NASA astrophysics explorer operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS scanned almost the entire sky in search of planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets. The TESS mission also discovered other cosmic phenomena, including star-shredding black holes and stellar wobbles. Learn more about the TESS findings at nasa.gov/tess.
Claire Andreoli
(301) 286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Alice Fisher
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
NASA Headquarters, Washington
